Child poverty affects every region, but its impacts concentrate where low incomes, conflict, and weak access to services overlap. In 2022, 44% of children under 18 lived in moderate poverty on under $6.85/day, linked to major shortfalls. Across the page, explore how poverty drives learning loss and worse schooling outcomes, alongside health harms such as malnutrition, stunting, wasting, and anemia.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, extreme poverty households ($2.15/day) have child poverty intensity of 35%
- Child poverty gap (average shortfall below $2.15/day) is $0.45/day globally for poor kids 2022
- 44% of global children in moderate poverty ($6.85/day), poverty line relevant for LMICs
- 258 million children out-of-school (primary age) due to poverty costs in 2022
- Poor children 4x less likely to complete secondary school globally, 750 million illiterate adults from this
- In lowest wealth quintile, primary completion rate 63% vs. 95% highest quintile
- Poverty causes 45% of child deaths under 5 globally, mainly through malnutrition and disease
- Stunted growth affects 149 million children under 5 (22%) in 2022, irreversible due to poverty-nutrition links
- 45 million children under 5 wasted (6.7%) in 2022, acute malnutrition tied to household poverty
- In 2022, approximately 333 million children under the age of 5 (about 9% of all children under 5 globally) lived in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 per day in 2017 PPP terms
- Globally, 356 million children (14.4% of children under 18) lived in extreme poverty in 2022, an increase from 333 million in 2019 due to COVID-19 impacts
- In 2023 estimates, 1 in 10 children worldwide (around 184 million) under 18 live on less than $2.15 a day, with higher rates in conflict-affected areas
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 72% of the world's extreme poor children under 5 in 2022 (240 million)
- In South Asia, 25% of children under 18 live in extreme poverty ($2.15/day), totaling 93 million in 2022
- Latin America and Caribbean child poverty rate at $6.85/day is 32%, affecting 32 million children in 2022
Millions of children worldwide still live in poverty, driving learning loss, hunger, and higher early death.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Dimensions26 stats
01
Globally, extreme poverty households ($2.15/day) have child poverty intensity of 35%
02
Child poverty gap (average shortfall below $2.15/day) is $0.45/day globally for poor kids 2022
03
44% of global children in moderate poverty ($6.85/day), poverty line relevant for LMICs
04
Shared prosperity premium for children: poorest 40% grew income 1.2% yearly 2013-2022
05
Extreme child poverty headcount ratio declined 1.5% annually pre-COVID, slowed to 0.5% post-2019
06
Fiscal incidence: social spending reduces child poverty by 20% on average in LMICs
07
Children comprise 50% of extreme poor despite 25% population, skewing $2.15 line
08
Gini coefficient for child poverty higher than adults by 10 points in most countries
09
Remittances reduce child poverty by 5-10% in recipient poor households globally
10
Cash transfers lift 36 million children out of poverty yearly, but coverage only 25%
11
Extreme poverty children live on $0.90/person/day average in poor households 2022
12
Resilience to shocks: 150 million children pushed back into poverty by climate events 2015-2022
13
Microcredit access reduces child poverty by 11% in participating households
14
Labor income share for poor households with children: 60% from informal/child work
15
Asset poverty: 80% extreme poor children in households lacking durable assets
16
Food expenditure 60% of budget in $2.15/day child poor homes, limiting other needs
17
Intergenerational transmission: 40% chance child poor if parents poor, vs. 10% reverse
18
Gender gap: female-headed poor households have 10% higher child poverty rates
19
Urban child poverty rising faster, 20% increase in numbers since 2014
20
Debt burdens in poor households reduce child nutrition spending by 15%
21
Projections: without action, 575 million in extreme poverty by 2030, half children
22
COVID increased child poverty by 97 million globally 2020-2021, economic losses $11 trillion
23
Climate shocks cost poor children 2.6% consumption loss yearly
24
Digital economy excludes 2.7 billion poor, limiting child opportunities
25
356 million children in extreme poverty cost global economy $1.7 trillion in lost earnings
26
To end child poverty by 2030, need $200 billion/year additional spending
Interpretation
Economic Dimensions Interpretation
In the economic dimensions of global child poverty, progress has been uneven, with extreme child poverty falling 1.5% annually before COVID but only 0.5% after 2019 while 44% of children still live in moderate poverty at $6.85 a day.
02 · Category
Education Impacts22 stats
01
258 million children out-of-school (primary age) due to poverty costs in 2022
02
Poor children 4x less likely to complete secondary school globally, 750 million illiterate adults from this
03
In lowest wealth quintile, primary completion rate 63% vs. 95% highest quintile
04
Poverty causes 40% of global learning poverty (can't read by age 10), affecting 250 million kids
05
Multidimensionally poor children twice as likely out-of-school, education deprivation 32% MPI
06
60 million girls out-of-school due to poverty/early marriage, primary/secondary global
07
Poor rural children attend school 20% fewer days yearly due to work/chores
08
In Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty drives 90% of 98 million out-of-school children
09
Child laborers (160 million) lose 200 million school years to poverty-driven work
10
Poorest quintile early childhood education access 20% vs. 80% richest, 175 countries
11
Poverty gap widens: poor kids learn 2 fewer years by age 18 than rich peers globally
12
70% of 10-year-olds in poor households can't read basic text, vs. 30% non-poor
13
In South Asia, poverty causes 85 million children out-of-school, mostly primary
14
Poor children 3x more likely to drop out before secondary completion, global average
15
Digital divide: 1.3 billion poor children lack household computers/internet for learning
16
In low-income countries, 50% poor kids never attend preschool vs. 10% rich
17
Poverty-related child marriage ends education for 12 million girls yearly
18
Poor households spend 0.5% income on education vs. 5% rich, perpetuating cycles
19
132 million primary school-age girls out due to poverty norms, half in poor regions
20
Learning-adjusted years of schooling for poor children: 6.5 years vs. 11 global average
21
In conflict-poverty zones, school attendance drops 50%, 38 million affected kids
22
Poor children face 2x teacher absenteeism in schools, reducing quality
Interpretation
Education Impacts Interpretation
For education impacts of child poverty, the scale is stark with 258 million primary age children out of school in 2022 and poverty driving 40% of global learning poverty that affects 250 million children who cannot read by age 10.
03 · Category
Health Impacts20 stats
01
Poverty causes 45% of child deaths under 5 globally, mainly through malnutrition and disease
02
Stunted growth affects 149 million children under 5 (22%) in 2022, irreversible due to poverty-nutrition links
03
45 million children under 5 wasted (6.7%) in 2022, acute malnutrition tied to household poverty
04
Anemia affects 40% of children 6-59 months (265 million) globally, poverty limits iron-rich foods
05
Poverty-related diarrhea kills 370,000 children under 5 yearly, lack of WASH access
06
5.3 million under-5 deaths in 2022, 70% preventable, poverty primary barrier to vaccines/treatment
07
Multidimensionally poor children 3x more likely to be stunted, health deprivations overlap 2023 MPI
08
In extreme poverty, child mortality rate is 14% vs. 1% in non-poor households globally
09
2.4 billion children lack access to safe sanitation, increasing disease risk 9x in poor homes
10
Poverty drives 80% of neonatal deaths (2.4 million yearly) via poor maternal nutrition/care
11
Children in poorest quintile 5x more likely to die before 5 than richest, 56 vs. 11 per 1000
12
Malnutrition from poverty contributes to 50% of under-5 pneumonia deaths (740,000 yearly)
13
148 million children lack vitamin A supplementation in poverty hotspots, risking blindness/death
14
Poor children 2x more likely to suffer severe acute malnutrition, 33 million cases yearly
15
In low-income countries, 13% under-5 mortality rate linked to poverty vs. 0.4% high-income
16
Poverty increases TB incidence in children by 4x, 1.1 million child cases yearly mostly poor
17
95 million children in severe water poverty lack basic services, heightening cholera risk
18
Maternal poverty doubles low birth weight risk, affecting 20 million newborns yearly
19
Poor households have 30% higher child immunization gaps, 14.3 million zero-dose kids
20
Extreme poverty children 6x higher malaria mortality, 260,000 deaths under 5 yearly
Interpretation
Health Impacts Interpretation
Health impacts from child poverty are stark, with 45% of under five deaths worldwide linked to malnutrition and disease and another 5.3 million under five deaths in 2022 that are 70% preventable yet remain beyond reach when poverty blocks vaccines and treatment.
More related reading
04 · Category
Incidence Rates30 stats
01
In 2022, approximately 333 million children under the age of 5 (about 9% of all children under 5 globally) lived in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 per day in 2017 PPP terms
02
Globally, 356 million children (14.4% of children under 18) lived in extreme poverty in 2022, an increase from 333 million in 2019 due to COVID-19 impacts
03
In 2023 estimates, 1 in 10 children worldwide (around 184 million) under 18 live on less than $2.15 a day, with higher rates in conflict-affected areas
04
The global child poverty rate (under $6.85/day moderate poverty line, 2017 PPP) stood at 44% for children under 18 in 2022, affecting 1.08 billion children
05
In low-income countries, 72% of children under 18 lived below the $6.85/day poverty line in 2022, compared to 3% in high-income countries
06
Multidimensional child poverty affected 1.1 billion children globally in 2022, with 584 million in extreme multidimensional poverty
07
35% of children worldwide experienced at least one dimension of multidimensional poverty in 2022, including nutrition, health, education, and living standards
08
In 2021, 152 million children under 5 suffered from stunting due to poverty-related malnutrition, representing 22% of under-5s globally
09
Extreme child poverty ($2.15/day) is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 59% of children under 18 live below this line in 2022
10
Globally, child poverty rates are twice as high as adult rates, with 15.7% of children vs. 7.9% of adults in extreme poverty in 2022
11
48% of children in households below the $3.65/day lower-middle-income poverty line globally in 2022, impacting 1.2 billion children
12
In 2020, due to pandemic shocks, an additional 71 million children fell into extreme poverty, pushing the total to 404 million temporarily
13
1 in 6 children globally (about 333 million under 18) lived in extreme poverty in 2022 per updated PPP lines
14
Child poverty headcount at $6.85/day was 46% in 2022 for under-18s, higher than the 38% for all population
15
In fragile and conflict states, 50% of children live in extreme poverty vs. 5% in stable high-income countries in 2022
16
Global average child poverty intensity (depth) is 28% for multidimensional poverty, meaning poor children are deprived in 28% of weighted indicators
17
67% of multidimensionally poor children live in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa combined in 2023 MPI data
18
In 2022, 23% of children experienced monetary poverty below $3.65/day, affecting 574 million under 18s
19
Orphanhood due to AIDS, conflict, and poverty affects 29 million children globally, exacerbating poverty cycles
20
2.7 billion people live in multidimensional poverty, with children comprising over 50% despite being 30% of population
21
Global child stunting rate linked to poverty is 21.6% for under-5s (149 million children) in 2022
22
9.6 million children under 5 die annually from poverty-preventable causes, 70% in low-income countries
23
258 million children out of school due to poverty barriers in 2022, primary age group
24
Child labor affects 160 million children aged 5-17 globally in 2020, linked to household poverty
25
356 million children in extreme poverty ($2.15/day) in 2022, with 70% in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
26
Moderate child poverty ($6.85/day) affects 1.1 billion children, 44% of global under-18 population in 2022
27
In 2023, 1 billion children experience severe water poverty, lacking safely managed drinking water
28
815 million children lack basic handwashing facilities at home due to poverty in 2023
29
462 million children live in severe sanitation poverty globally in 2023
30
319 million children suffer severe housing poverty, living in inadequate dwellings per MPI 2023
Interpretation
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The incidence rates show that extreme child poverty is widespread and worsening, with 356 million children under 18 living in extreme poverty in 2022 up from 333 million in 2019, while 44% of children under 18 faced moderate poverty by the $6.85 a day line and multidimensional poverty still affected 1.1 billion children in 2022.
05 · Category
Regional Disparities28 stats
01
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 72% of the world's extreme poor children under 5 in 2022 (240 million)
02
In South Asia, 25% of children under 18 live in extreme poverty ($2.15/day), totaling 93 million in 2022
03
Latin America and Caribbean child poverty rate at $6.85/day is 32%, affecting 32 million children in 2022
04
Middle East and North Africa has 18% child extreme poverty rate, 22 million children in 2022, driven by conflicts
05
East Asia and Pacific child poverty ($2.15/day) at 1.2%, but $6.85/day at 12%, 45 million children in 2022
06
Europe and Central Asia lowest child extreme poverty at 1.5%, 3 million children, but higher in conflict zones like Ukraine
07
In Nigeria, 56% of children under 18 in extreme poverty (27 million) in 2022, highest national figure
08
India has 70 million children in moderate poverty ($6.85/day), 21% of its child population in 2022
09
Democratic Republic of Congo: 76% child poverty rate ($2.15/day), 24 million children in 2022
10
Pakistan: 40% of children under extreme poverty line, 20 million affected in 2022
11
Ethiopia: 68% child extreme poverty, 18 million children in Sub-Saharan context 2022
12
Bangladesh reduced child poverty from 42% to 15% between 2000-2022, but still 10 million in extreme poverty
13
Brazil child poverty at $6.85/day is 25%, 12 million children, with urban-rural gaps
14
Afghanistan: Over 90% child multidimensional poverty in 2023 post-conflict
15
Yemen: 83% children multidimensionally poor due to war and poverty, 2023 MPI
16
Haiti: 60% child extreme poverty, worsened by disasters, 2 million children 2022
17
Madagascar: 80% children below $2.15/day, highest in non-conflict states, 6 million 2022
18
Mozambique: 70% child poverty rate, 7 million children in extreme poverty 2022
19
In West and Central Africa, 52% of children under 5 in extreme poverty vs. 12% in East Asia 2022
20
East and Southern Africa: 61% multidimensional child poverty, highest regional rate 2023
21
South Asia multidimensional child poverty at 27%, 270 million children affected 2023
22
Latin America: 13% children multidimensionally poor, but 45% deprived in at least one indicator 2023
23
Middle East/North Africa: 22% child MPI poverty, conflict drives 50%+ in Syria, Yemen 2023
24
In rural Sub-Saharan Africa, child poverty 75% vs. 40% urban in 2022
25
China's child poverty dropped to under 1% extreme by 2022, lifting 100 million since 2010
26
In India rural areas, 25% child extreme poverty vs. 10% urban in 2022
27
Nigeria North has 87% child poverty vs. 25% South in 2022 national survey
28
Child poverty in conflict zones like Sahel region exceeds 80%, 20 million children 2023
Interpretation
Regional Disparities Interpretation
Regional disparities are stark as Sub-Saharan Africa alone makes up 72% of the world’s extreme poor children under 5 in 2022 while other regions like Latin America and the Caribbean face far lower rates of 32% at $6.85/day and conflict-driven hardship still pushes Middle East and North Africa to 18% affecting 22 million children.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Global Child Poverty Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-child-poverty-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Global Child Poverty Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-child-poverty-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Global Child Poverty Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-child-poverty-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level