Around 25% of the population in the United Kingdom is currently living below the poverty line, according to a report by the British Social Metrics Commission (SMC).
The report highlights that the poverty rate in the country has reached its highest level this century. Since 2019, the economic crisis, fueled by the rising cost of living, has worsened the situation, pushing an additional 2.1 million Britons into poverty.
In total, 16 million people in the UK live in poor households:
– 5.2 million are children,
– 9.2 million are working-age adults,
– 1.5 million are pensioners.
Nearly one in four (24%) residents of the UK are now living in poverty.
The crisis has had a particularly severe impact on children. According to the report, in the 2022/23 academic year, over a third of minors (36%) were living in poverty, an increase of 5 percentage points compared to the 2019/20 academic year.
This makes children the most vulnerable group in society. The Commission defines poverty as the lack of sufficient resources to meet basic needs. The main criterion for poverty is the ability or inability to cover a person’s current living expenses.
