Ireland’s rate of child poverty has just been revealed in a worldwide report.
According to a survey by Unicef, 39 countries in the EU and OECD provided data to grasp a full picture of child poverty across the globe.
As a result, Ireland was ranked in ninth place, on the basis of the most recent income poverty rate, as well as recent efforts to reduce child poverty.
From the years 2019 to 2021, Unicef recorded Ireland’s child poverty rate as being just under 15%. The report also notes that the country’s overall statistics for child poverty have dropped by almost 19% from the year 2014.
However, despite the lowering figures, leading experts are still expressing continuing concerns regarding the housing crisis and the cost of living crisis.
At the moment, one in seven children in Ireland are continuing to live in poverty. Meanwhile, more than 10% of children are said to be experiencing an extended amount of poverty, lasting three consecutive years or more.
Across all of the 38 countries that provided data, the study explains that children living in a single-parent family are more than three times as likely to be living in poverty, compared to other children.
Additionally, Unicef’s research also highlights that children with disabilities and from minority ethnic/racial backgrounds are at an increased risk of developing a life in poverty.
Speaking about the report’s findings, the Director of UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Bo Viktor Nylund, admitted that “the impacts of poverty on children are both persistent and damaging.”
“For most children this means that they may grow up without enough nutritious food, clothes, school supplies, or a warm place to call home. It prevents the fulfillment of rights and can lead to poor physical and mental health,” Director Nylund added.
