Scotland has a National Performance Framework (NPF), and you can find out more about it in this key issues briefing from SPICe.
It includes 11 outcomes , and the performance of those outcomes is measured by a total of 81 National Indicators. This blog provides a snapshot of the current performance of the National Indicators, and we plan to update it on the first Monday of the month.
For example one outcome is all about Children and Young People, and the outcome is that “We grow up loved, safe and respected so that we realise our full potential”. So, how is that outcome measured? The NPF actually identifies seven different indicators for this outcome, and one of these is titled “child and social development”, and specifically measures the “the percentage of children with a concern at their 27-30 month review”. The indicator relates to Health Visitors’ assessment of children’s development and picks up the number of children who turned 27 months old during the financial year of interest (April to March) and who were active on the Scottish Immunisation & Recall System (SIRS). |
How do we know if things are getting better, worse or staying the same?
To help simplify a complex array of statistical measures and get a sense of the overall direction of the NPF, each one of the 81 National Indicators is assessed as to whether its performance is improving, maintaining or worsening.
That decision, for each indicator, is based on its own “Criteria for Change”
For example, If we look at the Criteria for Change for the Economic Growth indicator, we can get an idea of how this works. This indicator measures how well the Scottish economy is growing compared to recent history. It compares Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the most recent year against the average annual GDP growth across the three previous years. The Criteria for Change for this Indicator are: Performance Improving means: 0.1 percentage points or more higher than the average annual growth rates for the preceding 3 years Performance Maintaining means: within +/- 0.1 percentage points of the average annual growth rates for the preceding 3 years Performance Worsening means: 0.1 percentage points or more lower than the average annual growth rates for the preceding 3 years |
So, are things getting better, worse or staying the same?
Updated at 6 March 2023
This section outlines how each of the 81 Indicators is performing.
The NPF was last refreshed and reviewed in 2018. However, it should be noted that, as at 10 March 2023, of the 81 National indicators there is now no data for 18. That leaves us with 63 indicators on which performance has been assessed.
The Scottish Household Survey is the source for nine of the “missing” indicators, whilst the Scottish Health Survey is the source for a further four. In six cases no data is available as the indicator is still in development.
For surveys like the Scottish Household Survey, the pandemic has had a major impact on how that data has been collected (details available in this report). In summary, as set out here, in March 2020, to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, fieldwork for the Scottish Household Survey was suspended. A revised approach was piloted and adopted for the remainder of the 2020 sample. This involved no interviewer travel, and surveys conducted remotely, either by telephone or by video
As a result, the government says that it has not been possible to determine the extent to which any differences between 2020 and previous years represent genuine changes in people’s views and experiences, as opposed to being due to changes in how the survey was carried out. It is understood the government is considering alternative approaches to determining performance in the future.
More information can be found on the NPF website.
The big picture
The following chart gives an overview of what is happening with each indicator grouped by its relevant outcomes.

In most cases (32) performance is maintaining, whilst improvement is seen for 17 Indicators, and for 14 Indicators the position is worsening.
Current gaps in data are notable in Education (no performance data for 4 out of 9 Indicators), Human rights (no performance data for 3 out of 4 indicators), Communities (no data for 3 out of 8 indicators) and for International (only 3 out of 6 Indicators are currently measuring performance).
A breakdown by all the National Indicators
The following table provides an overview of what is happening with each indicator grouped by the relevant outcomes.
Children and Young People
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining |
Communities
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance Worsening |
Culture
Indicator | Performance |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Worsening |
Economy
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining |
Education
Indicator | Performance |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Confidence of children and young people | Indicator in development |
Resilience of children and young people | Indicator in development |
Performance Worsening | |
Engagement in extra-curricular activities | Indicator in development |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Improving |
Environment
Indicator | Performance |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining |
Fair Work & Business
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Improving |
Health
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Worsening |
Human Rights
Indicator | Performance |
Indicator in development | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance Maintaining |
International
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Improving | |
Performance Improving | |
Indicator in development | |
Indicator in development | |
Performance to be confirmed |
Poverty
Indicator | Performance |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Worsening | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance Maintaining | |
Performance to be confirmed | |
Performance to be confirmed |
Finally, it is worth noting that the Scottish Government has recently been asking users what they think of the National Performance Framework, and there’s an NPF newsletter for those who want to keep up to date.
Andrew Aiton, Data Visualisation Manager