Spain becomes the EU country with the highest rate of child poverty

Spain has just positioned itself as the country in the European Union with the highest levels of child poverty, with 27.8% of children and adolescents in this situation, as revealed by the Analysis of the Living Conditions Survey with a Childhood Approach. Childhood 2023.

This proportion brings together 2.2 million people under 18 years of age with incomes below the established poverty threshold (10,888 euros for a household of one person and 21,185 for families of two adults and two children).. Of them, one in ten experience Severe Material Deficiencies (SMC), the highest percentage compared to other age groups (821,000 under 18 years of age).

On the other hand, one in six children in the world live in extreme poverty, which represents a total of 333 million, according to the latest UNICEF report.. In this case, Spain occupies position 36 out of 39 in the general classification of high-income countries of the EU and the OECD.. This positioning places the country only above the United Kingdom, Turkey and Colombia, evidencing a significant problem.

Gustavo Suárez, president of UNICEF Spain, states that “in the year 2023, a rate of child poverty like this in Spain is unacceptable, and we cannot look away at the situation of any child or adolescent in our country who do not enjoy decent living conditions”.

The report reveals that child poverty in the country is not explained solely by income levels, since countries with similar incomes present divergent realities.. Poland and Slovenia are the countries that are best tackling child poverty – with a reduction of more than 30% – while some of the richest countries are falling behind, such as France and the United Kingdom.. While in Spain the poverty rate only increased by 4% between 2014 and 2021.

“Behind these figures are children and adolescents who cannot afford to eat daily, who live in houses without an adequate temperature, who do not have clothing, footwear or books, this prevents the fulfillment of many of their rights,” he claims. Suarez.

The analysis also reveals huge inequalities in poverty risks. Thus, migrant families, children in the Roma community, those who have a disability or those who live in households with only one adult – especially a woman – are particularly exposed to poverty.. In some countries, a person born in a disadvantaged area is likely to live eight to nine years less than someone born in a wealthy area, according to the report.

Children's organizations have proposed specific measures, such as universal support for parenting through tax deductions, the universalization of education for 0-3 years, guaranteeing access to the school cafeteria and advancing the full implementation of the European Child Guarantee.. These proposals seek to address inequalities and ensure more equitable progress in child protection in Spain.