Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Poverty in the UK - Statistics & Facts
Despite being one of the most developed countries in the world, the United Kingdom struggles with a fairly significant degree of poverty. As of 2022, around 11 million people in the UK were living in relative poverty, with that number increasing to 14.4 million when housing costs are considered. During this year, it was also estimated that almost 4.22 million children were living in relative poverty, a considerable increase when compared with 2013/14, when it was estimated that there were 2.28 children in relative poverty. Child poverty rates have fallen slightly since the mid-1990s, but not as much as the rate of pensioner poverty, which fell from 29.2 percent in 1997/98 to 13.8 percent by 2014/15.
Statutory homelessness and rough sleeping
In 2021/22, approximately 280,000 households in England were owed a homeless duty, by their local authority in order to prevent them falling into homelessness. A further 42,120 were owed a main duty, whereby the applicant is given more urgent assistance, such as temporary accommodation. Although the number of statutory homeless households being owed a main duty fell between 2003/04 and 2009/10, this began to increase until 2017/18, when new legislation was passed aimed at preventing homelessness before households got to the stage where they needed a main duty. During a similar time period, there was also a growth in the estimated number of rough sleepers in England, increasing from 1,768 in 2010, to 4,751 in 2017. This too has receded somewhat in recent years, with year-on-year decreases in 2018 and 2019 perhaps indicative that the new approach to homeless may be working.Cost of Living crisis putting pressure on UK households
The ongoing Cost of Living Crisis, has also added to the financial pressure faced by the UK's poorest households. This is particularly true for households in the lowest income deciles, which typically spend more of their income on items that currently have high inflation, such as food and housing. This is also reflected in the increasing usage of food banks, which has risen dramatically in recent years. Almost three million people receieved three days worth of emergency food from the Trussell Trust in 2022/23, the UK's main foodbank supplier, compared with fewer than one million in 2013/14.
