Ending child poverty
UNICEF works to ensure equal opportunities and a decent standard of living for every child
- English
- русский
Child Poverty in Europe and Central Asia
Our goal: By 2030, we aim to ensure that our support has helped governments in the region to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 6.6 million.
We work to shield children from the impact of poverty, help families lift themselves out of poverty, and stop poverty being passed on to future generations.
Data from the region
Around 20 million children in the Europe and Central Asia region are living in households that are monetarily poor.
This is the only region worldwide that has seen child poverty increase in recent years.
Up to two-thirds of children in some countries in the region face multidimensional poverty – missing out on basic services as well as a decent family income.
Overlapping crises in the Europe and Central Asia region – conflict, climate change and the rising cost of living – show no signs of easing. And children are paying the price: this is now the only region worldwide to have seen rising child poverty in recent years, and around 20 million of its children live in poor households.
Child poverty has surged because of rising food and fuel prices, and the war in Ukraine – combined with a lack of the cash benefits that should protect children against poverty.
Children are more likely to be poor than adults, and some children are more likely to be poor than others. They include children affected by migration, children with disabilities, children from rural areas and those from marginalized communities, such as Roma children.
The costs of child poverty are unacceptable. It undermines the prospects for each child and acts as a brake on national progress, with children who grow up in poverty less likely to access health care, complete their education or contribute to the development of their countries. Children often ‘inherit’ poverty and, without help to break its grip, they may pass it on to future generations.
In a region of middle- or high-income countries, child poverty often goes beyond a lack of money: for many children it is felt through exclusion and lost opportunities. In some countries, up to two-thirds of children experience multidimensional poverty, which includes a lack of education, health, nutrition, housing and social inclusion.
A lack of reliable data means that we don’t know for certain how many children in the region are poor, or by what measure. Meanwhile, the fiscal space for measures to end child poverty is shrinking because of economic pressures and, in some countries, a growing focus on the needs of a rapidly aging population.
Key policies
1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Article 26.1: The right of every child to benefit from social security.
- Article 27.1: The right of every child to a standard of living that is adequate for their full development.
2015 Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 1: No poverty by 2030
- Target 1.2: Halve the proportion of men, women and children living in poverty by 2030.
- Target 1.3: Implement social protection systems and measures for all, achieving substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable by 2030.
2021 European Child Guarantee
Working through National Action Plans in each EU Member State, the Guarantee aims to cut the number of children at risk of poverty by 5 million by 2030, including through better access to early childhood education and care, education, healthcare, nutrition and housing.
What is UNICEF doing?
Ending child poverty starts with ensuring that every child and family has the financial resources they need for their well-being – whether times are good or bad. UNICEF supports efforts across the Europe and Central Asia region to tackle child poverty from every direction: shielding children from its impact, helping families lift themselves out of poverty and stopping poverty being passed from one generation to the next.
UNICEF works with governments to build strong social protection systems that reach families whenever they need help. We advocate for strong family-friendly policies that include paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and child benefits. And we aim to reinforce the links between social protection and other key services, such as social care, early childhood development, education and health, to tackle the multidimensional poverty that goes beyond a lack of income.
We make the case for shock-responsive social protection: agile support that ramps up during a crisis. UNICEF has, for example, advocated successfully for the expansion of cash transfers to reach families needing emergency support in Ukraine.
We generate hard evidence to help governments monitor child poverty and the positive impact of social protection reinforcing the region’s ability to turn robust data into effective national policies. In Montenegro, for example, UNICEF’s support for the successful introduction of a universal child allowance included robust evidence on its likely impact.
We work with the European Commission to implement the European Child Guarantee, which links the reduction of child poverty to the provision of basic social services for every child. These include free early childhood education and care, education, healthcare, good nutrition and adequate housing.
UNICEF demonstrates that ending child poverty is a cost-effective investment that offers solutions to many current challenges, helping – in turn – to build strong, cohesive societies.