Child Poverty
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:9)
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Four million children of the UK are currently living in poverty. That’s almost a third of all the children in the UK. In an average classroom, that would be nine children.
A couple with two children living in poverty has less than £58 per day – that’s £15 each - after housing costs to pay for food, bills, childcare, transport, household items, clothes and other expenses like school trips or children’s activities. The same family on average income in the UK has about £96 per day – that’s £24 each - to cover these things.
A child is said to be living in poverty when they are living in a family with an income below 60% of the UK's average after adjusting for family size.
London has the highest rate of child poverty of any English region.
An estimated 663 million children worldwide – nearly one in three – live in poverty. 385 million children live in extreme poverty - surviving on less than $1.90 a day.
Globally, children are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than adults.
Children living in poverty are more likely to:
Have poor physical health
Experience mental health problems
Have low sense of well-being
Underachieve at school
Have employment difficulties in adult life
Experience social deprivation
Feel unsafe
Experience stigma and bullying at school