POVERTY UK

Just under 1 in 4 people in the UK live

in poverty

That’s 13 million people

Total population in UK is 60 million

POVERTY UK

This includes nearly 1 in 3 children

POVERTY UK

That seems rather a lot!

POVERTY UK

It’s based on figures which take into account incomes in Great Britain, after housing costs have been paid.

POVERTY UK

These figures don’t mean very much by themselves -- they only refer to low incomes relative to the rest of the population in the UK.

They don’t tell us much about the many different aspects of poverty and the way people experience it.

POVERTY UK

About 6.5 million adults

go without essential clothing, such as a warm waterproof coat, because of lack of money.

Over 10.5 million people live in financial insecurity: they can’t afford to save, insure their house contents, or spend even small amounts on themselves

POVERTY UK

POVERTY UK

9.5 million can’t afford adequate housing – heated, free from damp, and in a decent state of decoration.

                          

POVERTY UK

The dark shadow poverty casts, particularly over children’s lives and their futures.

POVERTY UK

Eighteen per cent of children go without two or more items that the majority of the population says are necessities, such as adequate clothing, toys, or three meals a day.

POVERTY UK

One in five non-working families on low or moderate incomes reported being unable to afford some basic food items on most days in 2010.

POVERTY UK

Children from poor homes are more likely to die as a baby or a child, and have lower life expectancy overall. They also have a greater likelihood of bad health, a greater risk of unemployment, and a lower chance of high educational achievement.

POVERTY UK

Whilst people do move out of poverty, many do not move very far, and many more experience poverty sometimes.

POVERTY UK

Groups in the UK at greater risk of poverty include women, as well as children: nearly 1 in 4 women lived in poverty in 1999/2000, compared with 1 in 5 men – even before taking account of the ‘hidden poverty’ that may exist in households where income and other resources are not shared fairly.

POVERTY UK

Minority ethnic groups in the UK are often more vulnerable to poverty, in particular Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, more than two-thirds of whom were living in poverty in 2000/01.

POVERTY UK

Just under two-thirds of individuals in households containing adults of working age who had no paid work were living in poverty in 2010

UNEMPLOYMENT

POVERTY UK

How does poverty in the UK compare to poverty in other parts of the world?

POVERTY UK

It’s not the same of course, but not all those living in the wealthier countries of the world fulfil the stereotype of the rich, privileged consumer. Some have been left behind, living in a parallel financial universe, often budgeting on a weekly cash basis, with no bank account, few local shops, and constantly juggling bills and debts.

POVERTY UK

It is women who often take on the burden of managing the family budget, putting others’ needs before their own and undermining their physical and mental health by doing so.