Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Child poverty hits record high
Children enjoying playing on swings

THE number of children living in poverty in Britain has reached a record high of almost 4.5 million, official figures revealed today.

Data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed 4.45 million children in households with relative low income after housing costs in the year to March 2024, up from 4.33m the previous year — the highest since records began in 2002-03.

A household is considered in relative poverty if its income falls below 60 per cent of the median after housing costs.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosts his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, London, July 21, 2026
Politics / 21 July 2026
21 July 2026

New PM slashes fuel bills and culls Starmer deadwood, but peace activists warn that placing John Healey as new Chancellor shows ‘beyond doubt that the military industrial complex is in charge of Burnham’s economic policy’

The skyline of Canary Wharf in London as the cold snap continues to grip much of the nation, February 14, 2021
Inequality / 14 July 2026
14 July 2026

Trade unions call for windfall tax hike to fund social energy tariff to public’s energy bills

Vehicles queue to fill up at a Costco petrol station in Coventry, April 10, 2026
Britain / 13 April 2026
13 April 2026

Campaigners urge government to ignore profiteering oil lobbyists and help those hit hardest by rising energy prices

A view of bank notes
Cost-of-living Crisis / 4 September 2025
4 September 2025