(26 February 2013) – In 2011, 27% of children aged less than 18 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Eurostat. The risk of poverty decreases with increasing education level of parents. It concerns almost one child in three with a migrant background.
In the EU27, children are at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion than the rest of the population. In 2011, 27% of children aged less than 18 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU27, compared with 24% of adults (aged 18-64) and 21% of the elderly (aged 65 and over). Persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion are those who are at least in one of the following three conditions: at-risk-of-poverty, severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity.
In 2011, the highest shares of those aged less than 18 who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion were registered in Bulgaria (52%), Romania (49%), Latvia (44%), Hungary (40%) and Ireland (38% in 2010), and the lowest in Sweden, Denmark and Finland (all 16%), followed by Slovenia (17%), the Netherlands (18%) and Austria (19%). In all Member States, the risk of poverty for children decreased when the education level of their parents was high.
In the EU27, children who have a migrant background were at greater risk of monetary poverty than children whose parents were native born. In Estonia, Hungary and Malta nevertheless, children with native born parents had a higher risk of poverty, while there was almost no difference between the two groups in the Czech Republic.