The UK had the worst rise in child poverty between 2012 and 2019 out of 39 of the world’s richest countries.
Under the Tories, the country has seen an almost 20% increase in its child income poverty rate, ranking last place in Unicef’s league table. Iceland was next worst with a significantly lower rise of 11%, while France had a 10.4% rise.
At the other end of the scale, Poland topped the list with a 37.6% cut in its child poverty rate, followed by Slovenia with a 31.4% reduction. The report compared relative income poverty rates, which means the proportion of people who fall below a threshold relative to the income of the average person in the population.
The change in child income poverty was measured over a seven-year period, comparing poverty rates in 2012-14 with 2019-21. Unicef compared the average poverty rate over a three-year period due to difficulties in data collection during the Covid pandemic.
The UK ranked 28th out of 39 in the table when measured on its most recent poverty rate, which was 20.7% of kids being in poverty in the period 2019-21. It put the UK’s overall ranking, which combined the two measurements, at 37th out of 39. Colombia had the highest percentage of children in relative income poverty at 35.8%, then Turkey with 33.8%.
The findings come from the latest in Unicef’s Report Card series, which analyses data on children’s well-being from OECD and EU countries. Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Committee for Unicef, said the consequences of poverty “can last a lifetime and tackling it should be a national priority”.
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“While some countries in this group have taken steps to increase support, in the UK we have seen a reduction in spending on child and family benefits and more children growing up in poverty as a result,” he said. “We urge the UK Government to take steps to protect all children from poverty, starting by making child poverty reduction a government priority, scrapping the two-child limit policy and benefits cap, and improving services and support, especially for the youngest children through a national Baby and Toddler Guarantee for all children in the UK.”
Joseph Howes, CEO of charity Buttle UK, said: “UNICEF’s research is yet more evidence of the child poverty crisis in the UK. We provide emergency grants for children and have seen huge increases in requests for essentials likes bed or bedding or children’s clothes or footwear – and when we surveyed frontline workers they told us about a frightening spike in the number of children in destitution, the absolute lowest standard of living any adult, child or young person can experience.
“It is time for bold action from the Government. A child poverty strategy is needed to support in the longer term, but we also urge the government to scrap the two-child limit on benefits and introduce an Essentials Guarantee, ensuring benefits always cover the essentials. But we all have a role to play, and we urge the public to support charities like Buttle UK this winter.”