Child Poverty: Global, Regional, and National Trends: An Urgent Call to Action
Nearly 385 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty, according to a new joint study released in September 2025 by the World Bank and UNICEF. The report paints a sobering yet clarifying picture: while there has been some progress globally, the crisis remains deeply entrenched in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and fragile, conflict-affected states.
The Global Picture
Globally, around 1 in 5 children today live in extreme poverty. In 2024, an estimated 412 million children under 17 were surviving on less than $3 a day, the international poverty line for low-income countries. This marks a decline from 507 million in 2014, but the pace of progress for children lags behind that of the general population.
Children remain disproportionately affected. While they represent about 30% of the global population, they account for more than 50% of those in extreme poverty.
Sub-Saharan Africa
The findings are starkest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the region is home to 23% of the world’s children, it carries the burden of nearly three-quarters (312 million) of all children living in extreme poverty.
The report reveals no improvement in a decade: in 2014, the region’s child poverty rate stood at 52%, and in 2024, it remains unchanged. This means over half of all children in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to grow up below the poverty line. Without urgent action, the region risks becoming the epicenter of global child poverty for generations to come.
Regional Contrasts: Progress and Setbacks
- South Asia has seen remarkable progress, cutting child poverty by more than half between 2014 and 2024. India alone recorded the largest reduction in numbers.
- East Asia and the Pacific also achieved significant improvements.
- Middle East and North Africa, however, suffered a reversal: the rate of extreme child poverty nearly doubled, rising from 7.2% in 2014 to 13.3% in 2024, largely due to conflict and economic instability.
Why Child Poverty Persists
The study underscores that child poverty is not only about money, it is about structural inequalities and a lack of access to essential services. Children in poor households often lack adequate nutrition, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, education, and protection. These deprivations reinforce the cycle of poverty across generations.
George Laryea-Adjei of UNICEF stated it plainly: “Ending child poverty is a policy choice. We must act with urgency to ensure all children access essential services to build a future free from poverty.”
A Way Forward
The report does not leave us hopeless; it provides clear pathways for governments and global actors:
- Measure What Matters: Routinely track child poverty at national and subnational levels, making children central to poverty reduction strategies.
- Strengthen Child-Sensitive Social Protection: Scale up cash transfers and safety nets to support families in meeting children’s basic needs.
- Invest in Foundational Services: Prioritize education, healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and infrastructure that benefit the poorest children.
- Ensure Growth is Inclusive: Align economic growth policies so that the poorest children and families directly benefit.
- Build Resilience: Put systems in place to protect children from shocks such as climate crises, pandemics, and economic instability.
Why This Matters Now
The research is the latest in a series of World Bank–UNICEF collaborations and the first to use the updated June 2025 international poverty lines:
- $3 – extreme poverty (low-income)
- $4.20 – lower-middle income
- $8.30 – upper-middle income
Even at higher thresholds, poverty remains a children’s issue: nearly 45% of children live on less than $3.10 a day, compared with 27% of adults.
The implications are clear: children are being left behind. Unless urgent and sustained investments are made in the poorest regions and households, the world will fall short of its commitment to end extreme poverty by 2030.
Conclusion
Child poverty is not inevitable. It is the result of choices; economic, political, and social. And it can be ended with the right mix of policies, investments, and collective commitment.
The message from UNICEF and the World Bank is unequivocal: ending child poverty is within reach, but only if the world chooses to act boldly, urgently, and inclusively.
