UNICEF: 2.6m more children living in poverty in the developed world since 2008

The number of children living in poverty is up by 2.6m in 23 of the most affluent countries around the world since the start of the global recession, according to figures produced by UNICEF last week.

The report ranks 41 countries on whether the levels of child poverty have increased or decreased since 2008, and also looks at the number of 15-24 year olds in education, employment and training in each country.

According to estimates, this shocking report also estimates that there over 76m children living in poverty around the world.

At the top of the ranking, Ireland, Croatia, Latvia, Greece and Iceland saw the number of children living in poverty increase by over 50%, with Iceland seeing the largest change over all.

In some countries, including Greece, household incomes have dropped to levels not seen since 1998. In the US, the increase in the number of children living in poverty is greater than was seen in the recession of 1982 – and child poverty levels have increased in 34 out of 50 states.

“Many affluent countries have suffered a ‘great leap backwards’ in terms of household income, and the impact on children will have long-lasting repercussions for them and their communities,” said Jeffrey O’Malley, UNICEF’s Head of Global Policy and Strategy.

“UNICEF research shows that the strength of social protection policies was a decisive factor in poverty prevention. All countries need strong social safety nets to protect children in bad times and in good – and wealthy countries should lead by example, explicitly committing to eradicate child poverty, developing policies to offset economic downturns, and making child well-being a top priority,” O’Malley said.

While the news is disturbing, in some countries there are now fewer children living in poverty, including Australia, Chile, Finland and Norway, in some case decreases of 30% were reported.

In the United States nearly one third of all children are living in poverty, while in the United Kingdom, over a quarter of all children are.

The report also highlighted that in 34 of the 41 countries, youth unemployment (15-24 year olds not in education or employed) rose, with the rises particularly notable in Cyprus, Greece and the United States.

In the United Kingdom, there were 1.2% more youth (a total of 13.3%) currently unemployed and in the US that number rose by 3% to 15 currently unemployed.

However, in Turkey there were proportionately more youth in employment than in 2008. In Turkey there were still over 25% of youth unemployed, but this number has fallen from 37% in 2008.

For the younger generation considering moving abroad for work, typical expat destinations such as Germany and Japan also show decreasing levels of unemployment with Germany’s figure down 2.1% to 6.3% and Japan down 1.5% to 6.9 unemployed.

Scandinavian countries also show very low levels of child poverty and youth unemployment, as they continue to show why they are becoming increasingly popular destinations for expats.