Among the OECD countries, Costa Rica had the highest share of children living in poverty, reaching **** percent in 2022. Türkiye followed with a share of ***percent of children living in poverty, while **** percent of children in Spain, Chile, and the United States did the same. On the other hand, only ***** percent of children in Finland were living in poverty.

Have you ever considered where pockets of poverty exist and who is most affected? Unfortunately, global patterns indicate that children are most impacted by poverty. Across the globe, a staggering 333 million children live in conditions of extreme poverty. Why is poverty such a critical issue? Because it affects the overall well-being of a person. Those living in poverty often encounter barriers to basic necessities like food, shelter, and healthcare. Growing up without consistent nutrition, shelter, and safety can have long-lasting developmental impacts on children and can cause lifelong problems. For more, read: Child poverty | UNICEF

Abstract

Young Lives: An International Study of Childhood Poverty is a collaborative project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in selected developing countries. The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is funding the first three-year phase of the project.

Young Lives involves collaboration between Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the academic sector. In the UK, the project is being run by Save the Children-UK together with an academic consortium that comprises the University of Reading, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, South Bank University, the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University and the South African Medical Research Council.

The study is being conducted in Ethiopia, India (in Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they reflect a range of cultural, geographical and social contexts and experience differing issues facing the developing world; high debt burden, emergence from conflict, and vulnerability to environmental conditions such as drought and flood.

Objectives of the study The Young Lives study has three broad objectives: • producing good quality panel data about the changing nature of the lives of children in poverty. • trace linkages between key policy changes and child poverty • informing and responding to the needs of policy makers, planners and other stakeholders There will also be a strong education and media element, both in the countries where the project takes place, and in the UK.

The study takes a broad approach to child poverty, exploring not only household economic indicators such as assets and wealth, but also child centred poverty measures such as the child’s physical and mental health, growth, development and education. These child centred measures are age specific so the information collected by the study will change as the children get older.

Further information about the survey, including publications, can be downloaded from the Young Lives website.

Geographic coverage

Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, involving 12,000 children in 4 countries. - Ethiopia (20 communities in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern National, Nationalities and People's Regions) - India (20 sites across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) - Peru (74 communities across Peru) - Vietnam (20 communities in the communes of Lao Cai in the north-west, Hung Yen province in the Red River Delta, the city of Danang on the coast, Phu Yen province from the South Central Coast and Ben Tre province on the Mekong River Delta)

Analysis unit

Individuals; Families/households

Universe

Location of Units of Observation: Cross-national; Subnational Population: Children aged approximately 1 year old and their households, and children aged 8 years old and their households, in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam, in 2002. See documentation for details of the exact regions covered in each country.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Purposive selection/case studies

A key need for the study's objectives was to obtain data at different levels - the children, their households, the community in which they resided, as well as at regional and national levels. This need thus determined that children should be selected in geographic clusters rather than randomly selected across the country. There was, however, a much more important reason for recruiting children in clusters - the sites are also intended to provide suitable settings for a range of complementary thematic studies. For example, one or a few sites may be used for a qualitative study designed to achieve a deeper level of understanding of some social issues, either because they are important in that particular place, or because the sites are appropriate locales to investigate a more general concern. The quantitative panel study is seen as the foundation upon which a coherent and interesting range of linked studies can be set up.

Thus the design was decided, in each country, comprising 20 geographic clusters with 100 children sampled in each cluster.

For details on sample design, see the methodological document which is available in the documentation.

Sampling deviation

Ethiopia: 1,999 (1-year-olds), 1,000 (8-year-olds); India: 2,011 (1-year-olds), 1,008 (8-year-olds); Peru: 2,052 (1-year-olds), 714 (8-year-olds); Vietnam: 2,000 (1-year-olds), 1,000 (8-year-olds).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face interview

Research instrument

Every questionnaire used in the study consists of a 'core' element and a country-specific element, which focuses on issues important for that country.

The core element of the questionnaires consists of the following sections: Core 6-17.9 month old household questionnaire • Section 1: Locating information • Section 2: Household composition • Section 3: Pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding • Section 4: Child care • Section 5: Child health • Section 6: Caregiver background • Section 7: Livelihoods and time allocation • Section 8: Economic changes • Section 9: Socio-economic status • Section 10: Caregiver psychosocial well-being • Section 11: Social capital • Section 12: Tracking details • Section 13: Anthropometry

Core 7.5-8.5 year old household questionnaire • Section 1: Locating information • Section 2: Household composition • Section 3: Births and deaths • Section 4: Child school • Section 5: Child health • Section 6: Caregiver background • Section 7: Livelihoods and time allocation • Section 8: Economic changes • Section 9: Socio-economic status • Section 10: Child mental health • Section 11: Social capital • Section 12: Tracking details • Section 13: Anthropometry

The communnity questionnaire consists of the following sections: • Section 1: Physical environment • Section 2: Social environment • Section 3: Infrastructure and access • Section 4: Economy • Section 5: Health and education

Global Poverty and Inequality Data

Source: Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg - Income Study https://www.lisdatacenter.org/

Data Dictionary:

gini - Gini Coefficient atk5 - Atkinson Coefficient (epsilon=0.5) atk1 - Atkinson Coefficient (epsilon=1) d9010 - Percentile Ratio (90/10) d9050 - Percentile Ratio (90/50) d8020 - Percentile Ratio (80/20) poorAll4 - Relative Poverty Rates - Total Population (40%) poorAll5 - Relative Poverty Rates - Total Population (50%) poorAll6 - Relative Poverty Rates - Total Population (60%) poorK4 - Relative Poverty Rates - Children (40%) poorK5 - Relative Poverty Rates - Children (50%) poorK6 - Relative Poverty Rates - Children (60%) poorE4 - Relative Poverty Rates - Elderly (40%) poorE5 - Relative Poverty Rates - Elderly (50%) poorE6 - Relative Poverty Rates - Elderly (60%) d5075 - Distribution of Children by Income Group (50-75%) d75150 - Distribution of Children by Income Group (75-150%) d150 - Distribution of Children by Income Group (above 150%) poortp - Children Poverty Rates - Two-Parent Families (50%) poorsm - Children Poverty Rates - Single-Mother Families (50%) pkidsm - % Children Living in Single-Mother Families eymed - Median Equivalized Income average - Mean Equivalized Income

The Poverty Mapping Project: Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition data set consists of estimates of the percentage of children with weight-for-age z-scores that are more than two standard deviations below the median of the NCHS/CDC/WHO International Reference Population. Data are reported for the most recent year with subnational information available at the time of development. The data products include a shapefile (vector data) of percentage rates, grids (raster data) of rates (per thousand in order to preserve precision in integer format), the number of children under five (the rate denominator), and the number of underweight children under five (the rate numerator), and a tabular data set of the same and associated data. This data set is produced by the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

This layer shows childhood poverty figures at a country scale. Population figures were obtained in 2023.This layer uses bivariate choropleth mapping to symboloise the relationship between children living in poverty (as defined globally) and children engaged in economic activity (i.e. work).Global patterns indicate that children are most impacted by poverty. Across the globe, a staggering 333 million children live in conditions of extreme poverty. This layer has been designed to help school children in New Zealand and the South Pacific explore these claims.

Abstract

Young Lives: An International Study of Childhood Poverty is a collaborative project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in selected developing countries. The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) is funding the first three-year phase of the project.

Young Lives involves collaboration between Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the academic sector. In the UK, the project is being run by Save the Children-UK together with an academic consortium that comprises the University of Reading, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, South Bank University, the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University and the South African Medical Research Council.

The study is being conducted in Ethiopia, India (in Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they reflect a range of cultural, geographical and social contexts and experience differing issues facing the developing world; high debt burden, emergence from conflict, and vulnerability to environmental conditions such as drought and flood.

Objectives of the study The Young Lives study has three broad objectives: • producing good quality panel data about the changing nature of the lives of children in poverty. • trace linkages between key policy changes and child poverty • informing and responding to the needs of policy makers, planners and other stakeholders There will also be a strong education and media element, both in the countries where the project takes place, and in the UK.

The study takes a broad approach to child poverty, exploring not only household economic indicators such as assets and wealth, but also child centred poverty measures such as the child’s physical and mental health, growth, development and education. These child centred measures are age specific so the information collected by the study will change as the children get older.

Further information about the survey, including publications, can be downloaded from the Young Lives website.

Constructed Files: The Rounds 1-3 Constructed Files, 2002-2009 are combined sub-sets of selected variables from Round 1, 2 and 3 of the Young Lives survey. One main constructed data file is available for each of the four countries. These are presented in a panel format and contain approximately 200 original and constructed variables, with the majority comparable across all three rounds.

Geographic coverage

Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, involving 12,000 children in 4 countries. - Ethiopia (20 communities in Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, and Southern National, Nationalities and People's Regions) - India (20 sites across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) - Peru (74 communities across Peru) - Vietnam (20 communities in the communes of Lao Cai in the north-west, Hung Yen province in the Red River Delta, the city of Danang on the coast, Phu Yen province from the South Central Coast and Ben Tre province on the Mekong River Delta)

Analysis unit

Individuals; Families/households

Universe

Location of Units of Observation: Cross-national; Subnational Population: Young Lives children and their households, in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam, in 2002-2009.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sampling Procedures: Purposive selection/case studies Number of Units: Ethiopia: 8,997 children; India: 9,057 children; Peru: 8,298 children; Vietnam: 9,000 children

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face interview

Cleaning operations

The constructed files are combined sub-sets of selected variables from Round 1, 2 and 3 of the Young Lives survey. The files contain about 200 original and constructed variables, most of them comparable across the three rounds, presented in a panel format and classified in four broad groups: panel information, general characteristics, household characteristics, and child characteristics.

The share of the global population with access to electricity in 2022 was roughly 91 percent, up from 71.4 percent in 1990. South Sudan was the least electrified country worldwide, followed by Burundi.

Sweden SE: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data was reported at 19.000 % in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19.300 % for 2020. Sweden SE: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data is updated yearly, averaging 19.300 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2021, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.700 % in 2019 and a record low of 18.300 % in 2017. Sweden SE: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. ;Government statistical agencies. Data for EU countires are from the EUROSTAT;;

The Poverty Mapping Project: Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition data set consists of estimates of the percentage of children with weight-for-age z-scores that are more than two standard deviations below the median of the NCHS/CDC/WHO International Reference Population. Data are reported for the most recent year with subnational information available at the time of development. The data products include a shapefile (vector data) of percentage rates, grids (raster data) of rates (per thousand in order to preserve precision in integer format), the number of children under five (the rate denominator), and the number of underweight children under five (the rate numerator), and a tabular data set of the same and associated data. This data set is produced by the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).

The Poverty Mapping Project: Global Subnational Prevalence of Child Malnutrition data set consists of estimates of the percentage of children with weight-for-age z-scores that are more than two standard deviations below the median of the NCHS/CDC/WHO International Reference Population. Data are reported for the most recent year with subnational information available at the time of development. The data products include a shapefile (vector data) of percentage rates, grids (raster data) of rates (per thousand in order to preserve precision in integer format), the number of children under five (the rate denominator), and the number of underweight children under five (the rate numerator), and a tabular data set of the same and associated data. This data set is produced by the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). To provide a global subnational map of the prevalence of underweight children that can be used by a wide user community in interdisciplinary studies of health, poverty and the environment.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for United States (PPAAUS00000A156NCEN) from 1989 to 2023 about child, poverty, percent, and USA.

Will all children be able to read by 2030? The ability to read with comprehension is a foundational skill that every education system around the world strives to impart by late in primary school—generally by age 10. Moreover, attaining the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education requires first achieving this basic building block, and so does improving countries’ Human Capital Index scores. Yet past evidence from many low- and middle-income countries has shown that many children are not learning to read with comprehension in primary school. To understand the global picture better, we have worked with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) to assemble a new dataset with the most comprehensive measures of this foundational skill yet developed, by linking together data from credible cross-national and national assessments of reading. This dataset covers 115 countries, accounting for 81% of children worldwide and 79% of children in low- and middle-income countries. The new data allow us to estimate the reading proficiency of late-primary-age children, and we also provide what are among the first estimates (and the most comprehensive, for low- and middle-income countries) of the historical rate of progress in improving reading proficiency globally (for the 2000-17 period). The results show that 53% of all children in low- and middle-income countries cannot read age-appropriate material by age 10, and that at current rates of improvement, this “learning poverty” rate will have fallen only to 43% by 2030. Indeed, we find that the goal of all children reading by 2030 will be attainable only with historically unprecedented progress. The high rate of “learning poverty” and slow progress in low- and middle-income countries is an early warning that all the ambitious SDG targets in education (and likely of social progress) are at risk. Based on this evidence, we suggest a new medium-term target to guide the World Bank’s work in low- and middle- income countries: cut learning poverty by at least half by 2030. This target, together with improved measurement of learning, can be as an evidence-based tool to accelerate progress to get all children reading by age 10. For further details, please refer to https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/e52f55322528903b27f1b7e61238e416-0200022022/original/Learning-poverty-report-2022-06-21-final-V7-0-conferenceEdition.pdf

This study includes data and documentation for Round 3 only. Round 1 is available under SN 5307, Round 2 under SN 6852, Round 4 under SN 7931 and Round 5 under SN 8357.

Latest edition:
For the fourth edition (August 2022), the Peruvian household level data files (pe_oc_householdlevel and pe_yc_householdlevel) have been updated to include the mother's health variables.

In 2023, Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for more than half of the global deaths of children under the age of five. The region has the highest poverty rates worldwide. Nevertheless, global child mortality rates have fallen steadily since the millennium.

The poverty-fighting charity you work for wants to alleviate suffering among impoverished children in Detroit, a Michigan city which consistently ranks among America's poorest urban centers. In this lesson, you'll combine census-tract data with ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World demographic information to identify the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods. With that newly discovered knowledge, you'll configure an app which will help you articulate a report to top donors.

In this lesson you will build skills in the these areas:

• Mapping income
• Styling layers and pop-ups
• Creating an app

Learn ArcGIS is a hands-on, problem-based learning website using real-world scenarios. Our mission is to encourage critical thinking, and to develop resources that support STEM education.

NO: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data was reported at 16.000 % in 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 16.000 % for 2019. NO: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data is updated yearly, averaging 14.400 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2020, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.000 % in 2020 and a record low of 11.500 % in 2012. NO: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. ;Government statistical agencies. Data for EU countires are from the EUROSTAT;;

Abstract

The Young Lives survey is an innovative long-term project investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in four developing countries. The purpose of the project is to improve understanding of the causes and consequences of childhood poverty and examine how policies affect children's well-being, in order to inform the development of future policy and to target child welfare interventions more effectively. The study is being conducted in Ethiopia, India (in Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. These countries were selected because they reflect a range of cultural, geographical and social contexts and experience differing issues facing the developing world; high debt burden, emergence from conflict, and vulnerability to environmental conditions such as drought and flood.

The survey consists of three main elements: a child questionnaire, a household questionnaire and a community questionnaire. The household data gathered is similar to other cross-sectional datasets (such as the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Study). It covers a range of topics such as household composition, livelihood and assets, household expenditure, child health and access to basic services, and education. This is supplemented with additional questions that cover caregiver perceptions, attitudes, and aspirations for their child and the family. Young Lives also collects detailed time-use data for all family members, information about the child's weight and height (and that of caregivers), and tests the children for school outcomes (language comprehension and mathematics). An important element of the survey asks the children about their daily activities, their experiences and attitudes to work and school, their likes and dislikes, how they feel they are treated by other people, and their hopes and aspirations for the future. The community questionnaire provides background information about the social, economic and environmental context of each community. It covers topics such as ethnicity, religion, economic activity and employment, infrastructure and services, political representation and community networks, crime and environmental changes. The Young Lives survey is carried out by teams of local researchers, supported by the Principal Investigator and Data Manager in each country.

Further information about the survey, including publications, can be downloaded from the Young Lives website.

Geographic coverage

Ethiopia - National Coverage India - Andhra Pradesh only Peru - National Coverage Vietnam - National Coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals Families/households Data are also gathered at Community and Mini-Community level.

Universe

Cross-national; Subnational Children aged 12 years old, children aged 19 years old, and the households of both sets, in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam. These children were originally interviewed in Rounds 1-3 of the study.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Number of units: Ethiopia: 1,875 (12-year-olds), 908 (19-year-olds); India: 1,915 (12-year-olds), 952 (19-year-olds); Peru: 1,902 (12-year-olds), 635 (19-year-olds); Vietnam: 1,932 (12-year-olds), 887 (19-year-olds) More detailed information on survey design and sampling is available at http://www.younglives.org.uk/content/our-research-methods

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face interview; Self-completion

Research instrument

The Older Cohort Household Questionnaire (age 19) includes sections on: - Parental background; Household and child education - Livelihoods and asset framework - Household food and non-food consumption and expenditure - Social capital; Economic changes and recent life history - Socio-economic status

The Older Cohort Child Questionnaire (age 19) includes sections on: - Parents and Caregiver update; Mobility - Subjective well-being - Education - Employment, earnings, and time-use - Feelings and attitudes - Household decision-making - Marital and living arrangements - Fertility; Anthropometry - Health and nutrition

The Older Cohort Cognitive Tests (age 19) includes - Mathematics test - Reading comprehension test

The Older Cohort Self-Administered Questionnaire (age 19) includes sections on: - Relationship with parents - Smoking, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual behaviour (administered in Peru only)

The Younger Cohort Household Questionnaire (age 12) includes sections on:
- Parental background - Household and child education - Livelihoods and asset framework - Household food and non-food consumption and expenditure - Social capital - Economic changes and recent life history - Socio-economic status - Health - Anthropometry (for the study child and a sibling) - Caregiver perceptions and attitudes

The Younger Cohort Child Questionnaire (age 12) includes sections on: - Schooling - Time-us - Health - Social networks - Feelings and attitudes

The Younger Cohort Cognitive Tests (age 12) include: - Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (administered to the study child and a sibling) - Mathematics test - Reading comprehension test. In Ethiopia and Peru only: a computerised cognitive skill (Executive Functioning) test administered on touch-screen tablet computers for the study child and a younger sibling. In Ethiopia only an additional English and Amharic reading test.

The Community Questionnaire (administered in the main communities where Young Lives children live) includes sections on: - General characteristics of the locality - Social environment - Access to services; Economy - Local prices - Social protection - Educational services - Health services; Migration

The Mini-community questionnaire (administered in communities into which one or study children moved) includes sections on: - General characteristics of the locality - Social environment - Access to Services - Economy - Local prices

Slovakia SK: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data was reported at 19.900 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 19.000 % for 2020. Slovakia SK: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data is updated yearly, averaging 24.200 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2021, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.300 % in 2012 and a record low of 19.000 % in 2020. Slovakia SK: Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: Children: % of population aged 0-17 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Slovakia – Table SK.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. ;Government statistical agencies. Data for EU countires are from the EUROSTAT;;

In 2024, approximately 10.6 percent of the population was living below the national poverty line in the United States. This reflected a 0.5 percentage point decrease from the previous year. Most recently, poverty levels in the country peaked in 2010 at just over 15 percent. Poverty in the U.S. States The number of people living in poverty in the U.S. as well as poverty rates, vary greatly from state to state. With their large populations, California and Texas led that charts in terms of the size of their impoverished residents. On the other hand, Louisiana had the highest rates of poverty, standing at 20 percent in 2024. The state with the lowest poverty rate was New Hampshire at 5.9 percent. Vulnerable populations The poverty rate in the United States varies widely across different ethnic groups. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the highest levels of poverty in 2024, with about 19 percent earning an income below the official threshold. In comparison, only about 7.5 percent of the White (non-Hispanic) and Asian populations were living below the poverty line. Children are one of the most poverty endangered population groups in the U.S. between 1990 and 2024. Child poverty peaked in 1993 with 22.7 percent of children living in poverty. Despite fluctuations, in 2024, poverty among minors reached its lowest level in decades, falling to 14.3 percent.