Flagship study finds a million children experienced destitution in the UK last year

The number of people experiencing destitution increased by 61 percent from 2019 to 2022, with an even larger increase in the number of children experiencing destitution, according to a major report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

The report is the fourth in a series of Destitution in the UK studies, published regularly since 2016 by JRF and undertaken by Heriot-Watt University, in partnership with Kantar Public. The latest findings follow another rapid acceleration in the level of destitution from 2017 to 2019.

Among the report’s findings are:

• Around 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022 – a 61% increase since 2019
• This includes around 1 million children – an 88% increase since 2019
• The number of people experiencing destitution in the UK has more than doubled in the last five years – up from 1,550,000 in 2017
• Since 2017 the number of children experiencing destitution has almost tripled – an increase of 186%
• Almost two thirds of people who experienced destitution in 2022 have a disability or chronic health problem
• The social security system is not protecting people from destitution: 72% of those destitute are in receipt of benefits

People are considered destitute if they have not been able to meet their most basic physical needs to stay warm, dry, clean and fed. This can be because they either lack necessities like clothing, heating, shelter or food, or because their income is so low they are unable to purchase these items for themselves.

The report found that destitution has increased in all regions of England. London has the highest levels of destitution, followed by the North East and the North West. The rate of increase has been particularly rapid in London and the West Midlands.

The rate of destitution has risen more quickly in London than anywhere else since 2019, followed by Wales. Destitution has increased much more slowly in Scotland, with the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment and boosts to local welfare likely to have offered some protection.

Paul Kissack, chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: ‘A million children experienced destitution last year – a number that has almost doubled since 2019. Across our country we are leaving families freezing in their homes or lacking basic necessities like food and clothing. Such severe hardship should have no place in the UK today – and the British public will not stand for destitution on this scale.

‘The government is not helpless to act: it is choosing not to. Turning the tide on destitution is an urgent moral mission, which speaks to our basic humanity as a country, and we need political leadership for that mission. That is why we are calling for clear proposals from all political parties to address this challenge with the urgency it demands.’

Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University said: ‘This is the most comprehensive and detailed study of its type but having robust data on destitution is meaningless unless acted upon at the highest levels. The number of children living in destitution in this country has nearly trebled since 2017. This is morally reprehensible and must act as a stark wake up call to policymakers across the political spectrum. No one of any age should be destitute in the UK today.

‘To have these horrifying levels of destitution in a country like ours is a political choice. The scale of extreme material hardship we have uncovered reflects the state abdicating its responsibility to ensure that all members of our society are able to meet their most basic physical needs to stay warm, dry, clean and fed without having to rely on charitable help. There must be immediate action from all levels of government to tackle this social emergency.’