“Having grown up in poverty, I experienced many things that a child should not. Worries about where my next meal would come from, when the electric or heating might turn off … bailiffs taking my belongings, as well as the shame and stigma that came with it … It has had a long-lasting impact on my life.”

Naomi, young person with lived experience of poverty

We aim to release our child poverty statistics every year around May time. However, this year they will be slightly delayed due to a delay in receiving the data from the government upon which these statistics are based. We are aiming to release these statistics in early July.

Local child poverty rates, After Housing Costs

• Use the map below or data tables to find out the level of child poverty in your constituency and local authority
• Read the report and press release
• How is poverty measured? and other FAQs
• For MPs: summary of the research and our campaign asks
• Hear what young people say about poverty

On 19 May 2021, the End Child Poverty coalition released new research showing the reality of child poverty in the UK, and what has changed over the last five years.

This comprehensive picture, broken down by local area, helps us to understand the current situation, to see how things are changing and to work together to prevent more children being pulled deeper into poverty.

The research was carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. The report is called Local indicators of child poverty after housing costs, 2019/20 and it covers the five-year period from 2014–15 to 2019–20.

Look up child poverty in your constituency or local authority

Nations and Regions Press Releases

• National press release
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland
• NW England
• Yorkshire and Humber
• NE England
• London
• SW England
• SE: Portsmouth; Hastings and Rye; Southampton; Dover

Take action

Email your MP today and ask them to write to the Prime Minister

Six things you should know about what the research says

1. Child poverty is rising. In March 2020, there were 4.3 million UK children living in poverty, over half a million more than five years previously. Young people with lived experience of poverty know what that really means: the embarrassment of not being able to afford the right school uniform, the assumption that you won’t achieve anything because of where you’re from and the anxiety and uncertainty that impact your mental health.

2. Largest cities are hardest hit. The greatest concentrations of child poverty are in London and Birmingham, the UK’s two largest cities. Across both cities, there are a dozen constituencies where the majority of children live in poverty, once housing costs are taken into account. In London in particular, high housing costs leave many families with very little money left after paying for the roof over their heads.

3. Child poverty is rising significantly in the North East. Across the North East, the child poverty rate has risen by a third over five years. The North East is no longer below the UK average, it has the second highest rate of child poverty of any region, after London.

4. Most children in poverty have working parents. Three out of four children who live in poverty have at least one working adult in their household. Yet, low-paid jobs and a freeze in in-work benefits, mean their wages are no longer enough to keep their families out of poverty. There are other costs. As one young person put it, “parents working full time to stay out of poverty means you personally lose out on interactions and a sense of attachment.”

5. High housing costs and low wages both have an impact on child poverty. These factors combine differently depending on where you live, but they both mean that families have less money available for essentials and are at greater risk of slipping into poverty.

6. The impact of Covid-19 on poverty is not yet fully known. This research covers the period before the pandemic. However, it shows significant and worrying rises in child poverty, even before the impact of the pandemic on jobs and household income.

What you can do to tackle child poverty

It’s not okay that one in three of our children experience the stigma and lack of opportunities that poverty brings. If you agree, join us and take action today.

Email your MP. Call for a comprehensive plan to tackle child poverty, including an increase in children’s benefits and to stop the £20 cut to family income that is due in October 2021.

Find out about your local area. Search our interactive map above by constituency

Get informed. Read the full report and our FAQs, explaining how the data was used and how terms are defined.

Meet your MP. If you have a little more time, meeting your MP ensures they know that child poverty matters to people in their constituency – and that you expect them to do something about it. We have a step-by-step guide to help you meet your MP online, whether or not you’ve done it before.