Almost one in three children are living in relative poverty, according to the latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
An estimated 4.5 million children – or 31% – in Britain are now living in relative poverty defined as households with income below 60% of the national median. This is up from 27% in 2020-21.
Adam Corlett, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: ‘The latest HBAI data is a stark reminder of the scale of deprivation among families, with close to a third of children in Britain now living in poverty.
‘This is before any additional impact from new benefit cuts and a weak living standards outlook, which are set to reduce incomes across the poorest half of working-age households by £500 over the next five years.’
He added: ‘These figures only increase the need for the Government to deliver an ambitious new strategy to tackle child poverty, including removing the two-child limit and benefit cap and extending Free School Meals to far more families.’
