State of Child Poverty 2024

Right now, families across the UK are being pushed to the brink. Our latest report, The State of Poverty in 2024, reveals the harsh reality of what it’s like to grow up in poverty today. This year, we heard from just over 1,000 frontline professionals working with approximately 150,000 children. They reported that 58% of these children live in destitution, and their responses outline the appalling standard of living that these families face in 2024.

Key findings:

• 53% cannot afford enough food and nutrition, while 55% cannot afford utilities
• 59% go without basic furniture such as beds, sofas and appliances
• 50% cannot afford children’s clothes or toys, while 47% are unable to afford to clean their homes or clothes.
• 48% are not able to afford their rent or equivalent
• 64% go without IT equipment for education or employment

Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK, comments,

 “The details in this report are heart-breaking.  No child should be forced to live in these conditions, and it is having devastating long-term consequences for both their physical and mental health.  We have gathered overwhelming evidence of the extreme challenges families are forced to endure and the impact this is having on the services of frontline workers. They speak of the almost complete breakdown of support services for families – funding is either not available or poorly applied, and services are both inefficient and insufficient.  Our figures show this is worse than ever before.  We need the Government to take action now. Otherwise the impact of these living conditions will have dire long-term consequences for tens of thousands of children.”