More than a third of children living in poverty in some of UK’s biggest cities

More than a third of youngsters are living in child poverty in some of the UK’s biggest cities, new figures suggest.

Some 40.8% of children under the age of 16 in Birmingham were in relative low income families in 2022/23, along with 40.6% in Leicester, 40.0% in Nottingham and 39.4% in Manchester, according to data from the Department for Work and Pensions.

A household is considered to be in relative poverty if its income is below 60% of the current median average.

Other areas where the proportion is at least a third include Oldham (42.2%), Stoke-on-Trent (38.3%) and Glasgow (33.5%).

Pendle in Lancashire had the highest level of any UK local authority, at 43.2%.

All of these areas have recorded a rise in the percentage of children in relative low income families since the pre-pandemic year of 2019/20, and also since 2014/15 when the current data begins.

Just over half (52%) of all UK local authorities have seen an increase in the proportion of children in child poverty since 2019/20, while around nine in 10 (91%) recorded a higher level in 2022/23 than in 2014/15.

Responding to the figures, the Government said it was helping people on the lowest incomes with a range of measures, including boosting benefits and pensions, extending the Household Support Fund and introducing the biggest ever rise to the National Living Wage.

Here is a full list of the proportion of children under 16 in the UK living in relative low income families, by local authority.

Three figures are given for each area, from left to right: the proportion in 2014/15, the first year in the data series; the proportion in 2019/20, the most recent pre-pandemic year; and the proportion in 2022/23, the most recent year.

The list is ranked by the proportions in 2022/23, starting with the highest.

– Pendle 28.8% 36.6% 43.2%– Oldham 28.5% 36.8% 42.2%– Birmingham 27.1% 37.0% 40.8%– Leicester 27.5% 31.1% 40.6%– Blackburn with Darwen 29.8% 35.9% 40.4%– Nottingham 24.1% 28.9% 40.0%– Manchester 27.2% 34.2% 39.4%– City of London 8.7% 9.3% 39.4%– Hyndburn 27.4% 33.8% 39.2%– Burnley 26.0% 32.4% 38.3%– Stoke-on-Trent 25.1% 34.9% 38.3%– Bolton 24.7% 32.7% 36.7%– Sandwell 24.2% 34.4% 36.7%– Bradford 30.2% 38.8% 36.2%– Rochdale 25.2% 29.9% 35.3%– Walsall 23.4% 32.9% 35.3%– Wolverhampton 22.5% 32.4% 34.9%– Glasgow 21.0% 29.6% 33.5%– Derby 21.7% 24.5% 33.3%– Blackpool 20.1% 26.2% 32.9%– Liverpool 20.2% 27.6% 32.3%– Middlesbrough 23.4% 39.5% 31.7%– Boston 19.1% 21.9% 30.8%– Lincoln 19.6% 21.1% 30.5%– East Lindsey 18.8% 22.3% 30.4%– Salford 19.8% 24.4% 29.6%– Preston 20.8% 25.8% 29.1%– Dudley 18.2% 26.3% 28.7%– Hull 24.7% 32.7% 28.5%– Luton 24.9% 30.6% 28.5%– North Ayrshire 18.0% 25.1% 28.5%– Ashfield 17.1% 19.4% 28.3%– Tameside 19.1% 24.6% 28.2%– Blaenau Gwent 25.7% 27.8% 28.1%– Knowsley 18.2% 23.6% 27.8%– Coventry 18.6% 25.8% 27.7%– Bolsover 17.6% 19.0% 27.6%– Mansfield 18.4% 19.6% 27.6%– Clackmannanshire 16.0% 22.9% 27.3%– Bassetlaw 15.7% 19.1% 27.2%– Bury 18.7% 21.9% 26.7%– Tower Hamlets 24.2% 33.3% 26.5%– Kirklees 21.3% 28.8% 26.4%– Chesterfield 17.5% 17.8% 26.4%– East Staffordshire 16.7% 23.9% 26.2%– East Ayrshire 17.3% 23.3% 26.1%– Dundee City 16.4% 21.7% 25.8%– West Dunbartonshire 16.1% 22.9% 25.6%– Merthyr Tydfil 22.9% 23.9% 25.5%– Telford & Wrekin 14.7% 23.3% 25.4%– Ceredigion 17.8% 23.0% 25.4%– North East Lincolnshire 19.6% 28.2% 25.2%– Doncaster 20.9% 27.6% 25.2%– Peterborough 22.7% 27.8% 25.1%– Rossendale 19.4% 22.2% 24.7%– Dumfries & Galloway 16.1% 22.3% 24.6%– Sheffield 19.6% 27.2% 24.5%– Isle of Anglesey 18.9% 22.1% 24.3%– South Holland 16.1% 18.6% 24.2%– Norwich 19.1% 25.9% 24.2%– Halton 15.6% 19.7% 24.1%– North Lanarkshire 17.0% 22.3% 24.1%– West Lindsey 14.3% 17.0% 23.9%– Newark & Sherwood 15.6% 17.0% 23.8%– Torridge 20.4% 20.8% 23.8%– Newport 21.3% 22.4% 23.8%– Wyre Forest 15.8% 22.0% 23.7%– Pembrokeshire 19.5% 23.6% 23.7%– Newcastle upon Tyne 19.9% 31.0% 23.6%– Fife 16.1% 21.3% 23.6%– Hartlepool 18.8% 29.1% 23.4%– Cannock Chase 15.6% 21.7% 23.4%– Rhondda Cynon Taf 20.5% 23.8% 23.4%– Newham 23.0% 28.6% 23.2%– Hastings 17.5% 23.9% 23.2%– Gwynedd 17.9% 21.8% 23.1%– Inverclyde 13.4% 17.6% 23.1%– Belfast 23.6% 24.4% 23.1%– St. Helens 15.4% 19.9% 23.0%– Ipswich 17.8% 24.5% 23.0%– Wigan 16.1% 20.1% 22.9%– Rotherham 19.1% 26.2% 22.9%– South Tyneside 18.5% 30.3% 22.8%– Barking & Dagenham 20.1% 28.6% 22.8%– Great Yarmouth 19.8% 23.8% 22.7%– Denbighshire 16.4% 20.8% 22.7%– Falkirk 15.0% 19.2% 22.7%– Calderdale 18.8% 24.7% 22.6%– Worcester 14.5% 20.7% 22.6%– Southampton 16.6% 22.7% 22.5%– Torfaen 18.9% 21.0% 22.5%– Barnsley 18.1% 24.9% 22.4%– Thanet 20.2% 25.3% 22.4%– Newcastle-under-Lyme 14.1% 20.0% 22.3%– Conwy 17.3% 20.5% 22.3%– Newry, Mourne & Down 22.0% 21.5% 22.3%– Wirral 13.4% 17.4% 22.2%– Hackney 17.2% 26.6% 22.1%– Carmarthenshire 18.7% 22.1% 22.1%– Bristol 17.8% 19.0% 22.0%– Redcar & Cleveland 16.8% 27.3% 21.9%– Cornwall 18.5% 19.2% 21.9%– Plymouth 19.1% 18.9% 21.9%– South Ayrshire 15.2% 19.6% 21.9%– North Lincolnshire 17.2% 24.2% 21.8%– Redditch 16.0% 19.4% 21.8%– Powys 17.7% 20.2% 21.8%– Caerphilly 19.2% 22.5% 21.8%– Derry City & Strabane 27.1% 24.1% 21.7%– Leeds 16.8% 24.6% 21.6%– Sunderland 18.7% 28.1% 21.5%– Amber Valley 12.4% 15.1% 21.5%– Torbay 18.6% 18.6% 21.5%– Lancaster 15.5% 18.0% 21.4%– Tamworth 13.3% 19.1% 21.4%– Gloucester 17.6% 17.5% 21.4%– North East Derbyshire 13.6% 14.7% 21.2%– Isle of Wight 14.9% 21.1% 21.2%– Angus 13.0% 18.1% 21.2%– Causeway Coast & Glens 24.0% 20.6% 21.2%– Nuneaton & Bedworth 15.6% 19.7% 21.1%– Cumberland 14.5% 18.0% 21.0%– Sefton 13.9% 17.2% 21.0%– North Northamptonshire 13.8% 16.0% 21.0%– Fenland 17.7% 22.2% 21.0%– Cardiff 18.1% 21.1% 21.0%– Neath Port Talbot 17.4% 20.4% 20.9%– Erewash 13.3% 14.1% 20.8%– Portsmouth 16.0% 22.6% 20.8%– North Devon 18.3% 17.7% 20.8%– West Lothian 13.2% 18.2% 20.7%– County Durham 17.6% 26.7% 20.6%– West Lancashire 14.1% 16.9% 20.5%– Dover 16.5% 21.6% 20.4%– Renfrewshire 11.8% 18.0% 20.4%– Slough 15.6% 20.3% 20.3%– Forest of Dean 16.1% 16.4% 20.3%– Darlington 16.6% 26.4% 20.1%– Moray 12.7% 17.0% 20.1%– Swansea 16.8% 19.3% 20.0%– South Lanarkshire 14.2% 17.7% 19.9%– Fermanagh & Omagh 20.3% 19.7% 19.9%– Wrexham 16.1% 21.9% 19.8%– Bridgend 16.4% 19.1% 19.8%– Gedling 12.4% 13.9% 19.7%– Herefordshire 13.6% 17.7% 19.7%– Scottish Borders 12.8% 18.1% 19.7%– Gateshead 15.4% 25.6% 19.6%– Broxtowe 12.7% 14.5% 19.6%– Waltham Forest 19.5% 25.4% 19.5%– Argyll & Bute 13.0% 16.9% 19.5%– Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 19.5% 18.1% 19.4%– Highland 13.2% 17.0% 19.3%– Wakefield 16.4% 22.3% 19.1%– South Kesteven 12.8% 13.8% 19.1%– West Northamptonshire 12.7% 14.0% 19.0%– Camden 14.0% 21.7% 19.0%– Greenwich 16.7% 23.0% 19.0%– Wyre 13.9% 17.0% 18.9%– Shropshire 12.7% 17.3% 18.9%– Havant 13.4% 20.4% 18.9%– Folkestone & Hythe 14.7% 20.8% 18.9%– Islington 14.7% 21.7% 18.8%– Crawley 13.0% 19.1% 18.8%– Stockton-on-Tees 15.8% 24.4% 18.7%– Mid Ulster 19.7% 17.8% 18.7%– Southwark 17.1% 21.7% 18.6%– West Devon 15.6% 16.4% 18.5%– Oadby & Wigston 13.0% 13.7% 18.4%– North Warwickshire 13.0% 17.5% 18.2%– Gosport 12.1% 17.9% 18.2%– Somerset 15.0% 14.8% 18.2%– Midlothian 12.8% 15.5% 18.2%– Mid & East Antrim 18.1% 19.1% 18.2%– High Peak 12.3% 12.8% 18.1%– Charnwood 12.9% 13.7% 18.1%– Melton 10.3% 11.7% 18.1%– Gravesham 15.2% 20.6% 18.1%– Flintshire 14.5% 16.4% 18.1%– Staffordshire Moorlands 12.0% 16.4% 18.0%– North Norfolk 16.1% 19.9% 18.0%– Lambeth 15.0% 21.7% 18.0%– Eastbourne 15.4% 18.0% 18.0%– Westmorland & Furness 13.6% 16.0% 17.9%– Hinckley & Bosworth 11.4% 12.9% 17.7%– North West Leicestershire 12.2% 13.4% 17.7%– King’s Lynn & West Norfolk 16.4% 19.8% 17.7%– Rother 14.4% 18.7% 17.7%– Teignbridge 14.5% 15.5% 17.7%– Stockport 12.4% 15.1% 17.6%– Perth & Kinross 11.8% 16.3% 17.6%– Aberdeen City 9.8% 15.2% 17.5%– Warrington 11.8% 15.1% 17.4%– South Derbyshire 10.9% 13.8% 17.4%– Stafford 10.3% 15.5% 17.4%– Brent 14.7% 20.5% 17.4%– Cheshire West & Chester 11.6% 14.6% 17.3%– Tendring 16.6% 20.1% 17.2%– Haringey 15.5% 21.0% 17.1%– Northumberland 14.7% 23.2% 17.0%– South Staffordshire 10.9% 15.7% 17.0%– Medway 14.2% 18.9% 17.0%– Swale 13.9% 19.4% 17.0%– Mid Devon 15.4% 16.2% 17.0%– Fylde 11.0% 14.6% 16.9%– Swindon 14.5% 13.9% 16.9%– Antrim & Newtownabbey 15.7% 16.9% 16.9%– Harlow 15.2% 18.4% 16.7%– Exeter 14.1% 15.0% 16.6%– Stirling 12.0% 15.6% 16.4%– Milton Keynes 13.8% 18.1% 16.3%– Canterbury 12.6% 17.4% 16.3%– East Lothian 12.6% 15.3% 16.3%– South Ribble 10.8% 14.6% 16.2%– Wychavon 10.9% 15.1% 16.2%– Lewisham 15.0% 20.6% 16.2%– Chorley 11.7% 15.1% 16.1%– North Kesteven 11.0% 12.6% 16.1%– Breckland 14.4% 19.4% 16.1%– Dorset 13.0% 13.0% 16.1%– Vale of Glamorgan 13.4% 15.0% 16.1%– Redbridge 15.8% 20.4% 16.0%– Arun 12.6% 17.0% 16.0%– East Suffolk 13.2% 18.0% 15.9%– Blaby 10.5% 12.0% 15.8%– Derbyshire Dales 10.9% 11.5% 15.7%– Thurrock 15.3% 17.2% 15.7%– Ashford 13.0% 17.6% 15.7%– Malvern Hills 11.3% 14.9% 15.6%– Reading 10.7% 14.8% 15.6%– Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole 13.3% 13.0% 15.5%– Croydon 13.6% 18.2% 15.4%– Hounslow 13.7% 19.1% 15.4%– Cheltenham 13.1% 13.3% 15.4%– Edinburgh 10.1% 12.7% 15.4%– North Tyneside 13.8% 21.8% 15.3%– Solihull 10.5% 14.0% 15.3%– East Devon 14.0% 13.9% 15.2%– Ards & North Down 16.6% 16.7% 15.2%– Bedford 15.7% 17.2% 15.1%– Orkney Islands 11.7% 15.3% 15.1%– Enfield 15.0% 18.8% 15.0%– South Hams 14.9% 14.5% 14.9%– Ealing 13.6% 18.5% 14.8%– Hillingdon 12.7% 18.4% 14.8%– Cheshire East 10.3% 12.4% 14.7%– Basildon 15.5% 17.1% 14.7%– Harrow 11.1% 17.2% 14.7%– Southend-on-Sea 13.6% 16.1% 14.5%– Monmouthshire 12.4% 13.8% 14.5%– Lichfield 10.2% 14.2% 14.4%– Oxford 11.2% 14.8% 14.4%– Na h-Eileanan Siar 10.2% 14.2% 14.3%– East Riding of Yorkshire 12.9% 17.4% 14.2%– Stroud 12.0% 12.0% 14.1%– Maidstone 11.5% 15.7% 14.0%– Stevenage 13.1% 16.0% 13.8%– North Somerset 11.8% 11.4% 13.7%– Rugby 10.3% 13.5% 13.6%– Trafford 11.4% 12.4% 13.5%– Havering 12.9% 17.5% 13.5%– Wiltshire 10.9% 10.6% 13.5%– Worthing 11.8% 14.4% 13.4%– Adur 11.7% 15.2% 13.3%– Chichester 10.3% 13.4% 13.3%– Babergh 12.1% 15.0% 13.2%– Westminster 10.5% 15.3% 13.2%– Brighton & Hove 11.0% 14.4% 13.2%– Tewkesbury 12.2% 11.9% 13.1%– Dartford 11.6% 15.3% 13.0%– Hammersmith & Fulham 11.1% 15.5% 12.9%– Lisburn & Castlereagh 13.5% 13.7% 12.8%– Wandsworth 8.9% 13.7% 12.7%– Lewes 10.7% 13.7% 12.7%– New Forest 10.0% 13.2% 12.7%– Wealden 10.5% 13.5% 12.6%– Colchester 11.4% 14.5% 12.4%– Bexley 12.2% 16.3% 12.4%– Merton 13.2% 16.3% 12.4%– Bromsgrove 8.7% 11.3% 12.3%– Braintree 11.1% 14.7% 12.3%– South Gloucestershire 10.8% 10.6% 12.3%– Aberdeenshire 7.6% 10.8% 12.3%– Shetland Islands 6.8% 10.0% 12.3%– Ribble Valley 9.0% 10.4% 12.2%– North Yorkshire 10.8% 14.1% 12.1%– Cherwell 9.8% 12.6% 12.0%– Stratford-on-Avon 8.4% 11.3% 11.8%– Castle Point 13.3% 14.3% 11.8%– Rutland 7.5% 8.9% 11.7%– Buckinghamshire 9.6% 12.4% 11.7%– Harborough 8.1% 8.9% 11.6%– Mid Suffolk 11.1% 13.1% 11.5%– Barnet 10.8% 14.2% 11.5%– Cotswold 9.9% 9.8% 11.5%– East Dunbartonshire 8.4% 10.3% 11.5%– Maldon 12.8% 12.9% 11.4%– Broxbourne 12.0% 13.5% 11.4%– Rushmoor 8.4% 11.9% 11.4%– Watford 10.9% 12.6% 11.2%– West Suffolk 10.3% 12.7% 11.2%– Bath & North East Somerset 10.4% 9.4% 11.1%– York 10.7% 13.2% 11.0%– Sevenoaks 9.4% 11.7% 11.0%– Tonbridge & Malling 9.1% 12.2% 11.0%– Warwick 8.0% 10.2% 10.9%– Epping Forest 10.5% 12.2% 10.8%– Broadland 10.9% 13.7% 10.8%– Cambridge 9.9% 12.6% 10.7%– Spelthorne 8.5% 10.5% 10.7%– Woking 9.2% 11.4% 10.6%– South Norfolk 11.3% 12.9% 10.5%– Tunbridge Wells 7.8% 11.2% 10.5%– Huntingdonshire 10.2% 12.8% 10.4%– Sutton 10.3% 13.0% 10.4%– Eastleigh 8.6% 10.8% 10.3%– East Renfrewshire 8.5% 10.4% 10.3%– Welwyn Hatfield 10.5% 11.6% 10.1%– Basingstoke & Deane 8.0% 10.7% 10.1%– West Berkshire 6.9% 10.1% 10.0%– Test Valley 8.3% 9.9% 10.0%– East Hampshire 9.0% 10.9% 9.9%– Rushcliffe 7.0% 7.8% 9.8%– Fareham 8.2% 11.4% 9.8%– Central Bedfordshire 10.2% 11.8% 9.7%– Dacorum 9.7% 11.5% 9.7%– Kensington & Chelsea 7.6% 10.0% 9.7%– Runnymede 8.2% 10.1% 9.7%– North Hertfordshire 8.6% 10.8% 9.6%– Bracknell Forest 7.2% 10.0% 9.4%– West Oxfordshire 7.7% 9.6% 9.4%– Isles of Scilly 10.8% 8.8% 9.4%– East Cambridgeshire 8.3% 10.7% 9.3%– Chelmsford 9.2% 10.6% 9.2%– Hertsmere 8.6% 9.4% 9.2%– Horsham 7.4% 9.3% 9.2%– Rochford 10.3% 11.4% 9.1%– Bromley 9.7% 11.9% 9.0%– Winchester 7.5% 9.4% 8.8%– Reigate & Banstead 7.6% 9.3% 8.7%– Guildford 6.6% 8.6% 8.6%– Tandridge 7.0% 8.9% 8.5%– Brentwood 8.4% 10.2% 8.4%– Vale of White Horse 7.1% 8.6% 8.4%– Kingston upon Thames 7.9% 10.4% 8.3%– Windsor & Maidenhead 7.1% 8.4% 8.3%– South Oxfordshire 6.4% 8.4% 8.2%– Surrey Heath 6.8% 8.7% 8.1%– South Cambridgeshire 8.1% 9.0% 7.6%– Mid Sussex 6.5% 8.2% 7.6%– Uttlesford 7.7% 9.1% 7.5%– Mole Valley 6.4% 8.1% 7.5%– Three Rivers 7.3% 8.5% 7.0%– Waverley 5.9% 7.5% 6.9%– Wokingham 5.5% 7.1% 6.8%– East Hertfordshire 6.9% 8.1% 6.7%– St Albans 7.0% 7.7% 6.7%– Epsom & Ewell 5.7% 6.6% 6.5%– Hart 6.1% 6.8% 6.4%– Elmbridge 4.7% 5.7% 6.1%– Richmond upon Thames 5.2% 6.7% 5.2%