“SoWC 2025: Ending Child Poverty – Our Shared Imperative” draws on data from over 130 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to assess the breadth of multidimensional poverty by measuring deprivations across six categories: Education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water.
Key Findings of SoWC 2025
- Monetary Poverty: More than 19% of children globally live in extreme monetary poverty, surviving on less than US$3 per day.
- Deprivations: More than 1 in 5 children in LMICs are severely deprived in at least two vital areas critical for their health, development, and wellbeing.
- About 206 million children in India experience at least one deprivation, and about 62 million experience two or more.
- Sanitation is the most widespread severe deprivation, increasing children’s exposure to diseases.
- Geographical Concentration: Highest rates of multidimensional poverty among children are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
- Factors compounding poverty: Conflict, climate and environmental crises, demographic shifts, mounting national debt, widening technological divides, and unprecedented cuts to Official Development Assistance (ODA).
- Impact: Poverty undermines children’s health, development, and learning – leading to weaker job prospects, shorter lifespans, and increased rates of depression and anxiety.
- For societies, poverty undermines future economic prosperity and creates conditions for violence and extremism to thrive.
Five Policy Pillars for Ending Child Poverty
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