UK poverty deepens as poorest families struggle to survive

While relative poverty levels have remained steady in recent years, life for those below the breadline has drastically worsened. 

New research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) reveals a record number of people in the UK are living in ‘very deep poverty’. 

According to the charity, deep poverty includes households whose incomes are too low to cover basic necessities such as food, energy bills and clothing. On average, a household experiencing this reality has an income 59% below the poverty line. For a couple with two young children, this equates to £16,400 or less per year.

In recent years the overall poverty rate has remained at 21%, but individuals whose incomes fall far below the threshold are struggling to keep their head above water. 

The research highlights that around 6.8 million people – half of all those in poverty – are in very deep poverty, the highest figure recorded since records began 30 years ago. 

Peter Matejiv, chief analyst at JRF, said: ‘Poverty in the UK is still not just widespread, it is deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years.’

The report, which covers 2023-24, shows an estimated 1.9 million people (3% of the population) remain consistently in poverty. For a couple with two children, an extra £14,700 a year would be needed to escape poverty entirely.

In an even more devastating turn of events, JRF analysts predict 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2023-24 – an even more severe state in which families can’t afford warmth, basic hygiene, food or clothing. 

The charity welcomed recent Labour plans to tackle poverty, including the decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap. JRF said this could result in the largest drop in child poverty in a single parliamentary term since the 1960s.

However, analysts warned wider efforts to reduce hardship remain insufficient. Matejiv added: ‘When nearly half of the people in poverty are living far below the poverty line, that is a warning sign that the welfare system is failing to protect people from harm. 

‘People want to feel like the country is turning a corner. That means taking action on record levels of deep poverty so every can afford the essentials. It means making people feel supported rather than being one redundancy or bout of ill health away from failing to make ends meet.’ 

Speaking to The Guardian, a government spokesperson said: ‘We understand that too many families are struggling, and we are taking decisive action to address poverty by boosting the national living wage by £900, cutting energy bills by £150 from April, and launching a £1bn Crisis and Resilience Fund to help households stay afloat. 

‘As this report acknowledges, scrapping the two-child limit alongside our wider strategy will life 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030.’ 

The full report can be read here. 

Image: Shutterstock 

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