The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that more than one in five children—69 million in total—face poverty in the 40 wealthiest nations worldwide.
The study, released on Wednesday, specifically criticized Britain and France for their concerning standings in child poverty, despite an overall 8 percent decline in rates from 2012-2014 and 2019-2021 across the European Union and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
The report, conducted by UNICEF Innocenti, emphasized the significant impact of poverty on children’s well-being, highlighting that 6 million children, out of a total child population of 291 million, experienced insufficient access to nutritious food, clothing, school supplies, and a warm home.
The findings challenged the assumption that a country’s wealth automatically eliminates child poverty, urging action and political will among surveyed nations.
The report advocated for measures to ensure the well-being of children, emphasizing the need to address the link between child poverty and economic inequality.
The study pointed out concerning setbacks since 2012, particularly in some of the wealthiest countries.
Britain witnessed a 19.6 percent increase in child poverty, equivalent to half a million additional children, while France experienced a 10.4 percent rise in its poverty rate.
In contrast, the United States saw a 6.7 percent reduction in the number of poor children, though over a quarter still lived in relative poverty.
Moreover, the report underscored the correlation between child poverty and economic disparity, noting a higher risk for children from single-parent families and minority backgrounds.
In the United States, 30 percent of African American children and 29 percent of Native American children lived below the national poverty line, compared to one in 10 non-Hispanic white children. In the European Union, children with parents of non-EU nationality were 2.4 times more likely to experience poverty.