Cost of raising child to 18 revealed as parents struggle to cover essentials

The costs of raising a child in 2025 have been revealed by a new report which warns many families are still struggling to afford to buy essentials for their children.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found the cost of raising a child to 18 in Scotland stands at £250,000 for a couple and £290,000 for single parents.

The charity said the gap between costs and incomes continued to be narrower in Scotland compared to England.

John Dickie, the CPAG’s director in Scotland, warned many families north of the border both in and out of work are still struggling to make ends meet.

Since 2012, CPAG’s annual report has looked at how much it costs families to provide the minimum socially-acceptable standard of living for their children.

For families without paid work there remains a “massive gap” between the minimum costs of raising a child and the income they get from the social security system, CPAG found.

A couple can cover less than half the cost (46%) while a lone parent can cover just 55%.

CPAG credited policies such as the Scottish child payment, free school meals and free bus travel resulting in a gap “significantly smaller” than in the rest of the UK where a couple’s income would cover only 37% of costs and lone parents 44%.

Even working families face a substantial gap between costs and income, the report found.

A couple working full-time on the national minimum wage can cover 90% of their costs while a lone parent working full-time on the minimum wage can only cover 79%.

Even for those on the median wage, lone parents could afford just 81% of their costs. The figure rose to 99% for couples.

Mr Dickie told the Press Association: “It is clear that costs are still massively outstripping the incomes that parents both in and out of work have available to them.

“Too many children are still growing up in families that just don’t have the income they need to enjoy what the general public believes is a minimum socially acceptable standard of living.

“Policies like the Scottish child payment, free school meals and free bus travel are all making a real difference but it is clear that next month’s Scottish budget will need to do more to boost the incomes and reduce the costs ordinary families face.

“If ministers are serious about making further progress to reduce child poverty resources need to be prioritised on increasing the real-terms value of the Scottish child payment as the most direct way to boost the income of families in and out of work.”

CPAG’s report urges the Scottish Government to raise the Scottish child payment during the Budget in January which it described as the “most direct and effective method of getting money into the pockets of low-income families”.

The Scottish child payment is a weekly payment of £27.15 per child for eligible families. Mr Dickie has previously called for this to be raised by at least £10 in the upcoming budget.

The charity also expressed disappointment that the Scottish Government had continued to fail to deliver its commitment to expand universal free school meals to P6 and P7.

It said that delivering the policy would be an “effective way to further reduce the gap between income and costs that families face”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Eradicating child poverty is the top priority for Scottish ministers and Scotland is the only part of the UK where relative child poverty rates fell in the last year.

“As this report highlights, Scottish Government support, including our Scottish Child Payment and free bus travel, is making a real difference to the lives of families across Scotland.

“We are committed to building on the progress we have made to date, with spending decisions for next year to be set out in the budget in January.”