A popular social media post asserts that child poverty in the UK far exceeds that of the Nordic countries. However, a closer examination of the statistics reveals a different story.
The post, which has garnered nearly 200,000 views, claims that over 30% of children in the UK live in poverty, contrasting this figure with the alleged rates of 2% to 4% in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
Yet, this claim is misleading. While it is true that the UK has a higher number of children living in poverty than the Nordic nations, the post inflates the figures significantly by relying on outdated data and questionable comparisons.
The Nordic statistics cited are primarily based on a 2005 OECD report, which evaluates the percentage of children under 18 in households with disposable incomes below 50% of the median. This methodology differs from the post’s assertion that the numbers are derived from children in households earning minimum wage.
In fact, the 2000 OECD report from which the post draws information indicated UK’s child poverty rate at about 16%, not the 32% claimed.
What Do Recent Figures Reveal?
The OECD’s latest data for all five countries was published in 2019. At that time, the UK still reported the highest child poverty rates but not nearly as alarming as those suggested on social media. The figures stood at 14.1% for the UK, followed by Sweden at 9.3%, Norway at 7.9%, Denmark at 4.8%, and Finland at 3.7%.
More recent reports on children at risk of poverty from Eurostat and the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), using a threshold of 60% of the median income, show even higher figures. In 2023, Eurostat reported child poverty rates of 19.8% for Sweden, 12.3% for Norway, and 9.7% for both Denmark and Finland, while the DWP assessed the UK’s rate at 22.4%.
How Does the UK Compare with Other European Countries?
While it’s accurate to state that the UK trails Nordic nations concerning child poverty, the gap isn’t as vast as social media claims suggest. According to the 2023 Eurostat and DWP data, the UK ranks among the countries with the highest child poverty rates within Europe.
However, the UK is not the worst performer when compared to the other “Big Five” European economies; it fares better than both Italy and Spain. Furthermore, France’s child poverty rate exceeds the EU average, placing Germany at the lower end of the spectrum.
Beyond the Nordic countries, Slovenia, Czechia, and Belgium boast the lowest child poverty rates in Europe, recording rates of 10.2%, 12.4%, and 13.2%, respectively, according to Eurostat.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Euronews
