A quarter of Welsh children live in poverty, new research shows

New research has shown that child poverty is present across nearly all areas of Wales, and at least a quarter of children live in poverty in every Welsh UK Parliamentary constituency bar two.

The research to understand local levels of child poverty, carried out by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, provides new information on child poverty across Wales, with campaigners calling for the UK government to meet their commitment to reducing child poverty.

The study showed a strong positive correlation between the two-child limit and child poverty across Wales, adding to evidence that the policy is a major driver of child poverty. However, it also found that devolved policy measures can contribute to lowering child poverty rates.

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Food banks

The new data also shows that the vast majority of constituencies (94%) are home to families where 1 in 4 children lives in poverty, highlighting that this is a problem affecting every community across the nation.

The End Child Poverty Coalition, representing over 135 organisations across the UK, is calling on the government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty in the Wales, and across the rest of the UK.

Rachel Walters, End Child Poverty Coalition Manager said: “No child in the Wales or beyond should have to experience poverty. These figures should demonstrate to government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families.

"The government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty. As a first step the government must scrap the two-child limit to benefit payments, a policy which continues to pull children into poverty every day!”

The new analysis also points to the fact that the actions of devolved governments can have an impact in reducing child poverty. The analysis shows that the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment has contributed to overall lower levels of poverty across Scotland.

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Support

The way that the data is captured means that it is not possible to look at the impact of some of the Welsh Government’s flagship policies such as universal free school meals on child poverty in Wales. But the emerging picture in Scotland does highlight how devolved policy can support children and their families.

Dr Steffan Evans, Head of Policy (Poverty) at the Bevan Foundation, said: “Whilst many of the key levers to tackle child poverty still remain at Westminster, this latest analysis highlights just how important a role the Welsh Government has to play in support children and their families.

"The Welsh Government have taken many welcome steps over recent years to address child poverty such as the introduction of universal Free School Meals in primary schools and in updating the Education Maintenance Allowance to make sure it’s fit for purpose.

"The latest analysis highlights that there is a need for all political parties to be bolder in their commitments to end child poverty as attention turns to the Senedd election next year.”

The data below shows the 10 constituencies with the highest levels of child poverty in Wales.

Wales % of children living in poverty

Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney: 36%
Rhondda and Ogmore: 35%
Newport East: 35%
Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare: 34%
Aberafan Maesteg: 34%
Clwyd North: 34%
Cardiff South and Penarth: 34%
Swansea West: 34%
Ceredigion Preseli: 33%
Mid and South Pembrokeshire: 33%

Reacting to the findings, a Youth Ambassador aged 20 from Wales said: “Child poverty in Wales isn’t just about lacking money - it’s about missing out on the things that make childhood special. Children are going without essentials like warm clothing, school trips, and even birthday parties.

"We need a government strategy that doesn’t just talk about change but delivers it - one that listens to our experiences and takes real action to ensure no child in Wales grows up feeling less because of their circumstances.”

Click here to read the full report and find out more about End Child Poverty.