Research, campaigns and opinion pieces on poverty, including how the benefits system, childcare system and high-quality jobs can reduce poverty.
JRF aims to bring about change by offering routes out of poverty for families and their children. We’re working to make sure everyone has access to:
Child poverty remains significantly higher than poverty rates for both working-age and pension-age adults, making it a critical issue to address in tackling poverty overall. Despite the UK being one of the richest countries in the world, around 4.5 million children — 1 in 3 — live in poverty. Children in lone-parent families face an even higher risk, with 4 in 10 living in poverty.
The impact of child poverty is severe, affecting children’s health, wellbeing, and future economic opportunities. Children in poverty are also more likely to experience deeper and more persistent hardship, with around 1 million children facing destitution — the most extreme form of poverty — in 2023.
In 2023/24, 7.9 million working-age adults, 4.5 million children, and 1.9 million pensioners were living in poverty. In 2023/24, among people in families receiving Universal Credit or equivalent benefits, poverty levels were alarmingly high at 44%. However, poverty is not limited to those receiving financial support. Many low-income households do not qualify for means-tested benefits yet still struggle. Over half (39%) of working-age households in the bottom fifth of incomes who are not on benefits are in arrears with at least one household bill, while more than two-thirds (67%) are going without essential items or experiencing food insecurity.
Children growing up in poverty are more likely to live in families that struggle to afford essential costs, like heating and eating. They may also struggle to afford school uniforms and miss out on school trips or activities with friends, which can make them feel more self-conscious and isolated.
Children who live in insecure housing may also be forced to move schools often and struggle to maintain networks of friends, which can impact both their education and wellbeing.
Growing up in poverty also impacts children’s future prospects. Children who qualify for free school meals are less likely than those who don’t to obtain good English and Maths GCSEs. This is likely to also impact their future job prospects, and children who grow up in poverty generally report lower earnings in adulthood and fewer hours worked.
Children who grow up in the most deprived areas are also more likely to live fewer years in good health than their counterparts in less deprived areas, and children in poverty are more likely to experience a range of mental and physical health issues.
