Over 115 million children worldwide live in extreme poverty. This deprivation is linked to worse health outcomes and a 10-point rise in unemployment can increase child poverty by over 1.5 percentage points.
Key Takeaways
- In the EU, 9.6% of children lived in households with very low work intensity in 2023
- 46 million children in the United States received free or reduced-price school meals in the 2022–23 school year
- The share of children in the US who experienced food insecurity was 14.5% in 2022 (USDA ERS)
- 27.4% of children in the United States were living below the federal poverty level in 2022 (U.S. official measure)
- 22.5% of children in Canada were living in poverty in 2022 (after-tax measure, using LIM-AT)
- 28.2% of children in South Africa were living in poverty in 2022 (national lower bound poverty line, Stats SA)
- The U.S. SNAP lifted about 7.0 million children out of poverty in 2022 (CBPP SNAP poverty impact)
- In the UK, the Child Benefit/Tax Credit reforms associated with increased net incomes for families with children: 2021–22 policy impact estimates show up to 1.2 million fewer children in poverty with targeted support (IFS analysis, 2022)
- The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) lifted 4.3 million children out of poverty in 2022 (CBPP estimate based on Census)
- In the OECD, students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds score 87 points lower on average in PISA 2022 than advantaged peers
- A WHO review found that undernutrition increases the risk of child mortality by about 45% (global evidence review)
- In the US, children in poverty had a 26% higher risk of asthma in a 2019–2020 analysis (CDC/NCHS data brief)
- US federal spending on SNAP was $116.7 billion in FY 2023 (USDA FNS)
- US Head Start funding was approximately $9.2 billion in FY 2022 (HHS/ACF)
- US child poverty programs: the Child Care and Development Block Grant disbursed $7.6 billion in FY 2022 (Administration for Children and Families)
Child poverty remains widespread, with deprivation, hunger, and long term harm affecting millions of children.
Related reading
01 · Category
Drivers And Mechanisms5 stats
01
In the EU, 9.6% of children lived in households with very low work intensity in 2023
02
46 million children in the United States received free or reduced-price school meals in the 2022–23 school year
03
The share of children in the US who experienced food insecurity was 14.5% in 2022 (USDA ERS)
04
A 10-percentage-point increase in unemployment is associated with a 1.3–1.6 percentage-point increase in child poverty in European contexts (systematic review/meta-analysis)
05
In South Africa, 30.0% of children live in households that experience hunger (Statistics SA, 2022/2023 depending on module)
Interpretation
Drivers And Mechanisms Interpretation
Across countries, child poverty is closely linked to labor market and food related pressures, with 9.6% of EU children living in very low work intensity households in 2023 and 14.5% facing food insecurity in the US in 2022, while South Africa reports 30.0% of children in hunger affected households.
02 · Category
Poverty Rates6 stats
01
27.4% of children in the United States were living below the federal poverty level in 2022 (U.S. official measure)
02
22.5% of children in Canada were living in poverty in 2022 (after-tax measure, using LIM-AT)
03
28.2% of children in South Africa were living in poverty in 2022 (national lower bound poverty line, Stats SA)
04
4.1% of children in the OECD area were in severe material deprivation in 2022 (OECD measurement)
05
115.1 million children worldwide were living in extreme poverty (<$2.15/day, 2017 PPP) in 2019
06
30.8% of children in Bulgaria were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023
Interpretation
Poverty Rates Interpretation
In the Poverty Rates category, child poverty remains alarmingly high across countries, with 27.4% of U.S. children below the federal poverty level in 2022 and 28.2% in South Africa in 2022, while globally 115.1 million children lived in extreme poverty in 2019 and only 4.1% in the OECD area faced severe material deprivation in 2022.
03 · Category
Policy Effectiveness8 stats
01
The U.S. SNAP lifted about 7.0 million children out of poverty in 2022 (CBPP SNAP poverty impact)
02
In the UK, the Child Benefit/Tax Credit reforms associated with increased net incomes for families with children: 2021–22 policy impact estimates show up to 1.2 million fewer children in poverty with targeted support (IFS analysis, 2022)
03
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) lifted 4.3 million children out of poverty in 2022 (CBPP estimate based on Census)
04
In France, family allowances increased net incomes of families with children by 11% on average (OECD Family Database, 2023)
05
In OECD cross-country evidence, child benefits reduce child poverty by about 20% on average (OECD/UNICEF joint evidence)
06
In a policy evaluation of Head Start in the US, participation increased lifetime earnings by an estimated 2.3% (RAND analysis)
07
Housing support affects child poverty: a US analysis finds that rental assistance reduces child poverty by about 15% (Urban Institute, 2020)
08
Universal child grant coverage: UNICEF reports that expanding universal child benefits can reduce child poverty by up to 50% (UNICEF policy brief, 2022)
Interpretation
Policy Effectiveness Interpretation
Across multiple countries, well targeted child and family income supports are clearly effective, with programs such as the US SNAP and the UK and OECD-linked reforms collectively lifting millions of children out of poverty, while OECD cross-country evidence suggests child benefits cut child poverty by about 20% on average and US Head Start boosts lifetime earnings by an estimated 2.3%.
More related reading
04 · Category
Consequences9 stats
01
In the OECD, students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds score 87 points lower on average in PISA 2022 than advantaged peers
02
A WHO review found that undernutrition increases the risk of child mortality by about 45% (global evidence review)
03
In the US, children in poverty had a 26% higher risk of asthma in a 2019–2020 analysis (CDC/NCHS data brief)
04
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are more prevalent among children in poverty: 25% higher odds of ACE exposure in low-income households (peer-reviewed study)
05
In the EU, children experiencing deprivation have significantly worse health outcomes: 2.7x higher likelihood of reporting unmet medical needs (EU-SILC evidence, peer-reviewed)
06
A meta-analysis reports that childhood poverty is associated with an 8–10% reduction in cognitive scores (peer-reviewed meta-analysis)
07
In the US, children in food-insecure households are 2.1 times more likely to be in fair/poor health (USDA ERS analysis, 2022)
08
Child poverty increases behavioral/emotional problems: 1.3x higher odds in poverty-exposed children in a longitudinal study (peer-reviewed)
09
Mortality impact: severe child deprivation is associated with a 2x higher risk of early mortality in cohort analyses (Lancet Commission evidence synthesis, 2020)
Interpretation
Consequences Interpretation
Across OECD, WHO, US, and EU evidence, child poverty is tied to multiple measurable consequences, including poorer learning outcomes with a 87 point PISA 2022 gap, a 45% higher mortality risk from undernutrition, and elevated health burdens like a 26% higher asthma risk and 2.7 times higher unmet medical needs.
05 · Category
Program And Funding8 stats
01
US federal spending on SNAP was $116.7 billion in FY 2023 (USDA FNS)
02
US Head Start funding was approximately $9.2 billion in FY 2022 (HHS/ACF)
03
US child poverty programs: the Child Care and Development Block Grant disbursed $7.6 billion in FY 2022 (Administration for Children and Families)
04
The OECD estimates that governments spend around 2.5% of GDP on family benefits on average across OECD countries (OECD Social Expenditure Database, 2021)
05
In the EU, the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) has €99.3 billion planned for 2021–2027, including support for social inclusion (European Commission)
06
UNICEF reported $8.4 billion in humanitarian funding for children in 2022 (UNICEF annual humanitarian report)
07
The US National School Lunch Program served 27.1 million children on an average school day in SY 2022–23 (USDA FNS)
08
The US Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) served 6.4 million participants in FY 2022 (USDA FNS)
Interpretation
Program And Funding Interpretation
Under the Program and Funding lens, the scale of child poverty efforts looks enormous and uneven, with the US spending $116.7 billion on SNAP in FY 2023 and about $9.2 billion for Head Start in FY 2022, while OECD governments average 2.5% of GDP on family benefits and the EU plans €99.3 billion for ESF+ over 2021–2027.
06 · Category
Early Childhood Focus7 stats
01
The World Bank estimates that every $1invested in early childhood development can generate $4 in returns (minimum in evidence synthesis)
02
By age 5, children who experience persistent poverty are more likely to be behind in cognitive development by about 0.5 SD (peer-reviewed meta-analysis)
03
A UNICEF global report estimates 50% of children under 5 are not reaching their developmental potential in low- and middle-income countries (UNICEF, 2023)
04
In a meta-analysis, home visiting programs reduce child maltreatment risk by 19% (peer-reviewed systematic review)
05
Exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants under 6 months in many countries remain low; globally 44% of infants are exclusively breastfed in 2021 (UNICEF/WHO)
06
UNICEF: 47 million children under 5 are wasted globally in 2022 (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimate)
07
In the OECD, around 20% of children experience low educational resources at home (PISA/ OECD evidence, 2022)
Interpretation
Early Childhood Focus Interpretation
Across early childhood, large evidence gaps in the first five years stand out, with UNICEF estimating that 50% of children under 5 in low and middle income countries fail to reach their developmental potential and 47 million under 5 are wasted in 2022, making early childhood investments and protections especially urgent.
report visual · Key figures
Child poverty and material hardship across countries (latest available years)
Child poverty and related hardship remain widespread across multiple regions, with notable variation by country and indicator.
27.4%
27.4% of children in the United States were living below the federal poverty level in 2022 (U.S. official measure)
22.5%
22.5% of children in Canada were living in poverty in 2022 (after-tax measure, using LIM-AT)
28.2%
28.2% of children in South Africa were living in poverty in 2022 (national lower bound poverty line, Stats SA)
4.1%
4.1% of children in the OECD area were in severe material deprivation in 2022 (OECD measurement)
30.8%
30.8% of children in Bulgaria were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023
source-verifiedcensus.gov · www150.statcan.gc.ca · statssa.gov.za · oecd.org · ec.europa.eu2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Child Poverty Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-poverty-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Child Poverty Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/child-poverty-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Child Poverty Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-poverty-statistics.
Sources & references
43 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)