One in five children in the world’s 40 wealthiest nations live in poverty, according to a new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF notes that the global economic recovery that followed the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a drop in global poverty. In the 40 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Union, the number of children living in poverty went down by 8% between 2014 and 2021.
However, that still leaves a staggering 69 million children living below the poverty line.
UNICEF stresses that a country does not need to be extraordinarily wealthy to tackle poverty.
For instance, Poland, one of the poorest EU countries, has managed to reduce child poverty by 38%, while substantial decreases of over 30% were also seen in Slovenia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
In stark contrast, the UK, which has the highest income on the list, has seen child poverty increase by 20% since 2014.
Countries such as Poland “prioritise tackling child poverty in their policies,” says UNICEF spokesperson Philippe Henon, highlighting this as a key to success.
Belgium ranks 12th on the poverty list, with structural poverty affects 11.9% of children in the country. Without its social security system, this figure would be much higher, according to UNICEF.
The main challenge remains housing – in 2020, 18.3% of Belgian children lived in unsanitary homes, featuring issues such as damp and mould.
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However, the problem transcends national borders. “As the economy recovers, the most vulnerable are left behind,” warns Henon.
Child poverty was widespread during the recessions. Today, children living in single-parent families are three times more likely to live in poverty in the countries under review, and even five times more likely in Belgium.
