Yes, Scotland has historically had severe slum conditions, especially in Glasgow's Gorbals and Edinburgh's under-bridge vaults, characterized by extreme overcrowding, poor sanitation, and dilapidated housing, though massive slum clearance projects in the mid-20th century transformed these areas, Scotland still faces significant poverty and deprivation, with modern issues manifesting as concentrated deprivation rather than classic slums.
The 2020 SIMD found that the most deprived Datazone in Scotland is in part of Greenock in Inverclyde with an Overall Multiple Deprivation rank of 1, and the least-deprived Datazone in Scotland is in part of Stockbridge in Edinburgh, with an Overall Deprivation rank of 6,976.
Parts of inner city areas like Anderston, Cowcaddens, the Garngad, Townhead and particularly the Gorbals, as well as parts of the industrialised East End (Bridgeton, the Calton, Camlachie, the Gallowgate) deteriorated into slums in which disease thrived.
A series of modern day British slums have been described as "sheds with beds". The illegal structures, some dangerous and cramped, are offered by landlords - often to Britain's illegal immigrants. Many occupants send money back to their families in India, paying thousands of pounds to traffickers.
20 Countries with the Lowest Slum Population in the World
This is The Dharavi Slum, India 🇮🇳 One of the Largest slum In The World and Also The world's Most Richest and Educated slum. The slum has an estimated 5,000 businesses and More Than 20,000 single-room factories Dharavi exports goods around the world.
A rookery, in the colloquial English of the 18th and 19th centuries, was a city slum occupied by poor people and frequently also by criminals and prostitutes. Such areas were overcrowded, with low-quality housing and little or no sanitation.
The most deprived neighbourhood in England according to the IMD25 is to the east of the Jaywick & St Osyth area of Clacton-on-Sea in Tendring (Tendring 018a). Seven neighbourhoods in Blackpool rank amongst the top 10 most deprived in England according to the IMD25 .
What we find is that Camden, Westminster, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hounslow, Redbridge, Brent, Barking and Dagenham, Enfield, and Ealing all have poverty rates higher than the London average, while poverty rates in Bromley, Richmond upon Thames, Merton, Sutton, Havering, Islington, Bexley, Southwark, Hillingdon and ...
Dundee City
Dundee is at the 'top' of the crime list in Scotland. In the year 2023/24, it registered 847 crimes for every 10,000 inhabitants. The involvement and occurrence of sexual crimes, property crimes relating to offences, and anti-social activities primarily drive the city's statistics.
Its title is a quotation from the Bible, where Paul the Apostle says that he is a citizen of "no mean city", (no obscure or insignificant city) i.e. he was a Roman citizen, even though he was a Jew from Tarsus.
When compared against the other 11 UK regions, Scotland is the second most violent region, beaten to the bottom only by London. The report found that Glasgow has major issues with gangs and knife crime.
Crimes of dishonesty remain the largest crime group by volume and Road traffic offences remain the largest offence group by volume. Crimes and offences recorded by Police Scotland, by crime group, year ending September 2021 to 2025.
Poverty rates and progress on targets
Since the early 2000s, Scotland has consistently had a lower poverty rate (AHC) than the rest of the UK. We know the primary driver of this is lower housing costs and more social housing in Scotland compared to England (Congreve, 2019).
Bieldside is attributed as one of the wealthiest areas in Scotland, and is home to the most millionaires per postcode outside London. Its residents include former UK Open winner Paul Lawrie and Stewart Milne.
The survey asks residents what they love, or don't love, about their local area, using 15 "happiness factors" such as community spirit, access to green spaces and friendly neighbours. The 2025 index reveals that Barking and Dagenham, a borough in East London, is the saddest place to live in the entire country.
The city with the lowest White British population as a percentage was Leicester (40.9%) – also the only city below 50% – while the lowest for unitary authorities was Slough (34.5%), followed by Luton (44.6%).
It was constructed in the 1930s as a holiday resort for Londoners but has, over time, been officially named the most deprived area in the country. The land on which the village is built was originally fields and salt marsh unsuitable for agriculture.
The World's Largest Slums:
The Housing of the Working Classes Act of 1890 gave the LCC the power to demolish slum housing. Between 1894-1900 15 acres of slum housing was demolished here in Shoreditch. The Boundary Estate was constructed on the site: the country's first large scale council estate.
Topping the list among countries having the highest percentage of its urban population living in city slums is South Sudan at 96%. Second on the list is Central African Republic at 93%. Third is Sudan at about 92%.
With a literacy rate of 69%, Dharavi is the most literate slum in India. The western edge of Dharavi is where its original inhabitants, the Kolis, reside.
Millions of people live in slum dwellings across India and many migrate to live in the slums from rural villages, often in search of work opportunities.
Mexico City
settlements and slums known as ciudades perdidas (“lost cities”) have occupied formerly green areas, unused lots, and vast areas of dry lake beds, especially along the city's northwestern and eastern peripheries.