Eradicating child poverty is a key executive aim

The official statistics also show 100,000 children have been take out of relative poverty since 1996/7.

Communities Minister Margaret Curran said the figures showed that the Scottish Executive had made "huge inroads into defeating poverty".

But, there was a rise in adults living in "relative" low-income households.

The figure for working-age adults living in households under 60% of the current median average income increased, from about 600,000 (20%) just before Labour won power at Westminster, to 630,000 (21%) in 2002/03.

'Right direction'

The number of children in "severe low-income poverty" - households below 50% average - fell over the six-year period, from 230,000 (21%) in 1996/97 to 180,000 (17%) in relative terms and to 80,000 (8%) in absolute terms.

Ms Curran said: "All the figures show a steady decrease in poverty levels since 1999, which we are proud of and we will continue to build upon."

Overall, the number of Scots living in low-income households dropped from an estimated 1,230,000 (24%) in 1996/97 to a relative figure of 1.1 million (22%) and in absolute terms to 690,000 (14%).