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Child poverty at record high, with nearly half of all families with the youngest child under five in poverty

Nearly half of all children in poverty are in families where the youngest child is under the age of five, according to the latest child poverty statistics – with the number of children in poverty now at its highest level since records began.

There are now 4.45 million children living in poverty, a with a rise of 100,000 on the previous year.

Overall, 31 per cent of children in the UK are living in poverty.

The figures are from the Households Below Average Income statistics 2023-24 published by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Government defines poverty as a household of relative low income after housing costs are deducted.

The definition – which is measured both before and after housing costs – refers to people living in households with income below 60 per cent of the country's median average figure.

The figures also show that the majority of poor families are working families, with nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of poor children are living in working families.

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