
A new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found that more than 1 in 5 people in the UK (21%) were in poverty in 2022/23 – 14.3 million people. Of these, 8.1 million were working-age adults, 4.3 million were children and 1.9 million were pensioners.
To put it another way, around 2 in every 10 adults are in poverty in the UK, with about 3 in every 10 children being in poverty. The picture compared to 2021/22 is one of stability: child poverty rose slightly, pensioner poverty fell slightly, and working-age adult poverty stayed the same.
Poverty for all 3 groups has returned to around pre-pandemic levels, rising after average incomes recovered after the pandemic, at the same time as a range of temporary coronavirus-related support was withdrawn.
The report showed that a ‘shockingly high’ number of children living in poverty in working families with50% of children in families where at least one adult is (but not all adults are) in work live in poverty.
Working-age adults are also impacted with two-thirds (68%) of working-age adults living in poverty are in a household where at least one adult works.
Responding to these figures, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said “Every worker deserves to earn a decent living. But many working households are struggling to keep their heads above water.
“This is unacceptable. Working people should be able to put food on the table for their families and keep their children warm during the winter. After 14 years of Tory chaos and stagnation, we urgently need to boost living standards.
“That’s why this government’s Make Work Pay agenda is so crucial for millions of families up and down the country. More money in working people’s pockets means more spend on our high streets – that’s good for workers and good for local economies. And the Employment Rights Bill will mean more good and secure jobs – boosting productivity for businesses and giving workers more control over their lives and better chances to progress.
“Better work is crucial for ending child poverty, but decent social security matters too. The Government must remove the two-child benefit cap which is keeping too many children in working households in poverty.”