Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. So why do a third of its children live in poverty? | CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/24/uk/britain-child-poverty-intl-scli
Posted by powdersleaf
Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. So why do a third of its children live in poverty? | CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/24/uk/britain-child-poverty-intl-scli
Posted by powdersleaf
21 Comments
Capitalism is very powerful and creates large amounts of wealth.
Capitalism does not give money to poor people.
City of London* is one of the world’s richest countries
It’s basically because they are using “relative poverty” to measure it, which is impossible to eliminate due to its definition.
The children are not living in absolute poverty which is what most people think when they talk of poverty.
Because wealth and income increases don’t matter when wealth and income inequality is so bad no one below the top 10% sees it.
It’s why people are, generally speaking, very tired of “we’re good for the economy” style arguments because proudly boasting that billionaires got 40% richer, or hedge funds made record profits doesn’t really make people happy with you when they’ve seen their wages fall in real terms for 5 years straight and inflation is at a record high.
Is poverty these days kids not having the latest technology? This article makes it sound like they live in the slums or go to school in rags. Many families struggle but I’m not sure poverty is like it was years ago.
Relative poverty is a terrible measure for global comparisons, let us please stop doing it.
Wealthy people can buy all the resources and then rent them to people who couldn’t.
Maybe because people that can’t afford children (choose) to have children
Because the wealth of the UK is based on being Europe finance and corporate capital… which it cannot be anymore post brexit.
Britain is not a country, and even if it was, it wouldn’t be one of the world’s richest countries.
It’s articles like this that have people convinced the country is hell right now.
Relative poverty can not be eliminated due to it’s definition. News on the UK has been insanely negative for a while now, bordering on obsessive.
There are massive issues in the UK that we could really focus on and get sorted but the media has us convinced the UK is doomed. Of course things could be better but it’s definitely not as bad as you’d think.
That said it’s likely all a goal to get a government like Farage, something the corpos would love nothing more.
Undermine the economy so people believe there is nothing to ask for, erode trust in government so people feel it’s hopeless, sow division to weaken the populace and have them attack each other, stoke the flames to enable a populace leader who will weaken the institutions that protect the populace. Ensure profit, control and influence for your corporation for the foreseeable future.
Because they vast majority of the wealth in in the possession of a tiny fraction of the population. Isn’t this common knowledge?
Highest wealth inequality and how poverty is measured against % of median wages. Once you take benefit top up claims into account there should not be the amount of child poverty predicted.
Also from personal perspective when working in a primary school,I’ve seen children go to school with no breakfast and then know all they’ve got is a piece of toast for tea. Then you see the parent vaping outside the school yard in their new kicks or mums with filled faces. There is the complexity of parents just not caring enough and crying poverty when spending on the wrong things. Complete financial illiteracy.
Because the rich have all the money, not the country.
A third of children in Britain do NOT live in poverty. We are just manipulating the statistics. The entire world can donate all their money to the UK and our stats will still show a third of children in (relative) poverty….
This is misinformation on the level of Trump tbh. Honestly, it might be worse, at least everybody expects him to say stupid, wrong BS.
“One million of these children are destitute, going without their most basic needs of staying warm, dry, clothed and fed being met, according to a 2023 study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which studies poverty and formulates policy to tackle it.
“We came across one family that were just existing on cornflakes and rice,” Little Village chief executive Sophie Livingstone told CNN.
“We have lots of families who are in one room, lots of mold, lots of very poor-quality housing even when people are housed,” she added.””
For everyone who just likes to focus on the relative poverty and how that is no problem. Even though many people struggle
If we exclude those who are relatively impoverished, we are still left with 1 million children currently living in absolute poverty.
Because people have kids they can’t really afford and then expect the welfare state to fund it
It’s a definition thing. A third of children don’t like in poverty based on the 3rd world images of poverty many think about when mentioning poverty. And based on the definition used, unless the UK turns full communist, there will always be “poverty” – even those impoverished have a roof over their head, money for food and clothing, as well as free access to actual food & clothing. Plus free healthcare, education, etc….not really what the 3rd world would call poverty.
Unbelievablely, many British people justify poverty due to semantics of terminology. This is a major factor in the continuation of poverty in the UK.
We need to be upfront in understanding that the vast majority of British people are only concerned about themselves and couldn’t care less about the people and children living in poverty in their own communities. They instead seek out bizarre arguments and victim blaming rather than admit lack of empathy and a failed economic system.
Ooh, I like the easy questions, so the rich can get richer
There is a vast amount of genuine, severe poverty in the UK. This thread is filled with people claiming that isn’t the case, that this is ‘just a definition thing.’
1) Partly because much of that poverty is invisible to most people. Peope don’t see or experience it themselves, so they’re adamant it isn’t there.
2) Partly because of our press. Most of our press regularly demonises the poor. The few left wing papers we do have write lots about feminism/trans issues/global politics, but far less about poverty.
3) Partly because it’s convenient to believe poverty isn’t there. It removes your responsibility to do anything about it.