Poverty

Poverty is defined as a household income which is below 60% of the average income.

In 1997 there were 4.2 million children living in poverty in Great Britain. A Government progress report for 2004-5 reveals there are now 700,000 fewer children living in relative low income than in 1998-99.

(Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Making a difference: Tackling poverty - a progress report, 2006).

In 2003 around 700,000 children were living in poverty in rural areas, (accounting for 18% of all poor children in the UK). In 2005 1.76 million children were living in workless households.

(Source: Working with Children 2006-7, NCH/SocietyGuardian, 2005; Opportunityfor all: seventh annual report 2005, Department for Work and Pensions, 2005).

In 2007, 30 per cent of 18-21-year-olds, living in households below 60 per cent of median income, were deemed at risk of being in poverty.

In 2007, of the 1.5 million young adults aged 16-24 in low income households, 1 million were single without children.

(Source: Household Below Average Income, DWP, 2007).

A 2007 report published by the Commission for Racial Equality states that rates of poverty are particularly high among children of African (56%), Pakistani (60%), and Bangladeshi (72%) origin, compared with a rate of 25% for white children.

(Source: A lot done, a lot to do. Commission for Racial Equality, 2007).