What is child poverty in the UK?
4 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty – that's nearly one in three children. That represents a shocking 27% of all children across the country. Child poverty in the UK is driven by low wages, rising living costs, insecure work, unequal access to support and wider structural inequalities. It means children going to school hungry and families making impossible choices just to get by. But families experiencing poverty know what needs to change.
That’s why, at Save the Children UK, we work alongside children, parents and communities to lift children out of poverty. We listen to their experiences and make sure families have the power, money, and services they deserve, so they can help shape local services and national decisions
We deliver this by providing immediate practical support, including baby banks and family grants for essentials, while working alongside communities so families can shape the decisions that affect their lives. At the same time, we campaign for long-term change to tackle the systems that hold families back.
Across England, Scotland, Wales (Cymru) and Northern Ireland, we work hand in hand with parents, communities and children themselves, shifting power to local people, making local services better, and influencing government policy across the four nations to make the UK a better place to grow up.
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What is the definition of child poverty in the UK?
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In the UK, child poverty is defined as living in a household with an income below 60% of the UK median, after housing costs are considered. This is known as relative poverty. Put simply, child poverty in the UK means a child growing up in a household without enough money to meet their basic needs.
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What is the child poverty rate in the UK?
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4 million children – that's 27% of all children – were living in poverty, rising to 31% after housing costs as of financial year ending 2025. This is the highest figure on record. This means nearly one in three children in the UK lives in a household that cannot afford basic necessities after paying rent or a mortgage.
Photo by Harry Lawlor
Child poverty in the UK is...
Poverty steals childhood
What does child poverty look like in the UK?
- 4 million children in the UK are growing up in poverty – that's nearly one in three children. That represents a shocking 27% of all children across the country.
- 42% of children in families with at least one adult working, are living in poverty.
- Nearly half, 48%, of all children from minority ethnic families live in poverty.
- 41% of children living in poverty live in lone parent households.
- 35% of children living in families where the youngest child is aged 0-4.
How to help child poverty in the UK
We’re one of the leading children’s charities in the UK, making a difference in children’s lives across the country. We believe every child deserves the right to a childhood, which is why we have a long-standing commitment to tackling child poverty in the UK.
By donating to Save the Children, you help us make a difference across the UK for child poverty and support those who need it most.
Food insecurity
Food insecurity means not always knowing where your next meal is coming from - skipping meals, going hungry, or relying on cheaper, less nutritious food because there isn't enough money to go round.
As of July 2026, 2.2 million children in the UK were living in food-insecure households, according to the Food Foundation's Food Insecurity Tracker.
No child should have to go to school on an empty stomach, which is why we campaign for measures like free school meals and breakfast clubs alongside our own holiday hunger programmes.
Material deprivation
Material deprivation is when a family can't afford the basic, essential things most of us take for granted - a warm home, proper winter clothes, or the chance to join a friend's birthday party. It's a different measure to income poverty, because it looks at what a family can actually afford rather than what they earn.
The government now tracks this through a new measure called deep material poverty - a child lacking four or more of thirteen essential items. In the financial year ending 2024, 2 million children (14%) were in deep material poverty. The most recent analysis suggests this had eased slightly to 13% by financial year ending 2025 - still meaning well over a million children going without the basics.
Impact on Education
Poverty doesn't stay outside the school gates. Children growing up in low-income households are more likely to fall behind their peers, miss out on trips and after-school activities their friends take for granted, and start school less ready to learn. Find out more about how poverty affects children's education in the UK.
Our mission
We want a UK where every child, whatever their family's circumstances, gets the chance to thrive. That means fighting for a social security system families can rely on, decent and affordable housing, childcare that works around family life, and secure work that pays enough to live on - alongside the practical, immediate help families need right now.
EXPLORE OUR UK WORK
From baby banks to national campaigns, here's how we're working with children, families and communities across all four nations to end poverty for good.
Don't let poverty hold children back
POTENTIAL, NOT POVERTY.
Working with a group of young people in Save the Children's network who have experienced poverty, our new film marks the crucial moments in children’s lives and reveals what could be different if they’re given the support they need.
Together, we’re campaigning to make sure all children - no matter what situation they’re born into - get a fair chance to realise their dreams.
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Frequently Asked Questions about UK Child Poverty
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What is child poverty?
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Child poverty in the UK means a child growing up in a household with an income below 60% of the UK median, after housing costs - known as relative poverty.
In practice, it means a family without enough money to meet their child's basic needs.
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How many children live in poverty in the UK?
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4 million children in the UK were living in poverty as of financial year ending 2025 - that's 27% of all children, or 31% after housing costs are taken into account, according to DWP's Households Below Average Income statistics.
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What counts as child poverty in the UK?
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A child is considered to be living in poverty if their family's household income is less than 60% of the UK's median income, after accounting for housing costs. This is called relative poverty.
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What are the main causes of child poverty in the UK
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Child poverty has multiple interconnected causes including low wages, insecure work, high housing costs, insufficient social security support, and the rising cost of essentials. Specific policies like the two-child limit on benefits have been shown to drive poverty rates higher, particularly for larger families. This was removed in April 2026 following years of campaigning by organisations including Save the Children. Find out more about what that means for families.
Structural inequalities also mean that certain groups – including families with disabled members, single-parent households, and some ethnic minority families – face higher poverty rates.
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Which areas of the UK have the highest child poverty?
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Child poverty rates vary across the UK. Differences are driven by factors such as housing costs, wages, job security, and long-standing inequalities between places.
Nation
Children aged 0–19
Children under 16
UK
27%
26%
England
29%
Data not available
Wales
32%
26.1%
Scotland
21%
14.8%
Northern Ireland
19%
20.5%
Across England, some regions have particularly high rates of child poverty:
London (38%)
High housing costs are a major driver. Many families face high rents, overcrowded homes, and rising living costs, which push working households below the poverty line.West Midlands (32%)
Long-term economic inequalities, lower wages, and higher levels of economic inactivity contribute to persistently high poverty rates in parts of the region.North West (32%)
Child poverty is linked to low pay, insecure work, and stark differences between more and less advantaged areas. In-work poverty is a key issue.
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What does child poverty look like in everyday life?
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Child poverty isn't always visible, but it means children going to school hungry, wearing clothes that don't fit properly, missing out on school trips their friends can afford, and parents making impossible choices between heating and eating. It means birthday parties that can't happen, shoes that are too small, and constant worry about money. Poverty affects children's education, health, and mental wellbeing – stealing the carefree childhood every child deserves.
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What is Save the Children doing about UK child poverty?
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We provide immediate practical support – including baby banks, holiday hunger programmes, cost-of-living grants, and school uniform support.
We work with communities to create opportunities for children to learn through play, and run programmes like Families Connect to help parents support their children's education. In 2025, our Family Grants programme alone supported more than 2,800 children with essential items, from cots to school shoes, according to our latest Annual Report.We're also campaigning for long-term change, including our No Limits to Childhood campaign, which focused on scrapping the two child limit on benefits. After years of campaigning, we were successful in November 2025. Thanks to the help of our supporters, hundreds of thousands of families will no longer be forced to choose between heating and eating, and more children are getting the chance to thrive.
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How can I help tackle child poverty?
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You can donate to Save the Children to support families facing hardship right now and fund our campaign work for lasting change. You can also raise your voice – contact your MP about child poverty, sign petitions calling for policy changes like removing the two-child benefit limit, and talk openly about poverty to challenge stigma. Volunteering at one of our shops or with community programmes also makes a real difference.
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How does poverty affect education?
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Children growing up in poverty are more likely to fall behind at school, missing out on trips, resources and after-school activities their peers take for granted. Find out more about poverty and education in the UK.
