A major new study from the World Bank and UNICEF has revealed that 412 million children worldwide were still living in extreme poverty in 2024, equivalent to one in five of the global child population. The findings underline both fragile progress and persistent inequalities, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for three-quarters of the total.
The report, supported by the Government of Iceland, draws on household survey data from 152 economies, 85 of them collected after the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the most detailed assessments yet of child poverty. The analysis applies the World Bank’s revised international poverty lines to children under 18.
At the lowest threshold — less than £2.40 per day — child poverty fell from 507 million in 2014 to 412 million in 2024. But at the higher £6.60 line, reflecting the standards of upper-middle-income countries, the picture is bleak: nearly two-thirds of the world’s children, 1.4 billion in total, are poor.
Africa’s stagnation, Asia’s gains
While South and East Asia posted remarkable advances, Africa’s story is far more troubling. Over 311 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa still live in extreme poverty, a figure virtually unchanged in a decade. The region, which accounts for just under a quarter of the global child population, now harbours three-quarters of the world’s poorest children.
India halved its child poverty rate in ten years, while Indonesia cut its rate from 31% to just 7%. By contrast, Yemen’s collapse pushed poverty rates across the Middle East and North Africa almost double. In Latin America, inequality left over 40% of children poor under the higher poverty line.
Conflict and fragility drive deprivation
The study warns that fragile and conflict-affected states are increasingly at the heart of the crisis. By 2024, more than half of all children in extreme poverty lived in such contexts, up from a third in 2014. Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen saw catastrophic rises. The COVID-19 pandemic also reversed gains, adding 31 million children to the extreme poor in 2020 before recovery clawed back ground by 2022.
Success stories show progress is possible
Despite sobering figures, the report highlights striking national successes. Indonesia’s sharp reduction was supported by targeted transfers during the pandemic. Georgia halved child poverty within a decade, while Mexico cut rates by 44% between 2016 and 2022. In Africa, countries such as Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal proved inclusive growth could deliver gains.
A call for urgent political will
The study concludes that progress is too slow, uneven and fragile to meet global targets. Children remain disproportionately poor, making up half of the world’s extreme poor despite being just 30% of the population. The authors urge governments to prioritise children in poverty strategies, expand social protection and confront inequality head-on. With just five years to the Sustainable Development Goals deadline, they warn that without bold political commitment millions of children will be left behind.
