7 March 2025: IPPR: Revealed: Nearly half of UK children with parents born abroad are in poverty
- New analysis finds 46 per cent of children in families with non-UK born parents live in poverty
- “I can’t buy clothes for my children, I can’t buy them shoes, I can’t buy them a single toy, I can’t buy them snacks”
- Government can’t tackle child poverty without addressing key issues in the migration system, says IPPR
Hundreds of thousands of children in the UK from migrant families are affected by poverty and are being held back in life, according to a new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
The think tank warns that the upcoming child poverty strategy, expected to be published in Spring, will fail unless it addresses the deepening crisis of hardship amongst children with parents born outside of the UK.
New analysis by IPPR reveals how children in migrant families, many of whom were born in the UK themselves and may have one British parent, are disproportionately affected by poverty:
- Over a third of children in poverty are in families with parents born outside of the UK: 1.5 million children in poverty in the UK live in families with migrant parents
- Nearly half of children in families with parents born outside of the UK are in poverty: 46 per cent of children of non-UK-born parents live in poverty, compared to 25 per cent of other children
- Children in families with migrant parents are more than twice as likely to be in very deep poverty: 21 per cent of children of non-UK born parents live in very deep poverty, compared to 8 per cent of other children
The research says children with migrant parents are more likely than other children to not have their own bedrooms, go on school trips, have a hobby, have friends over, celebrate special occasions, and eat nutritious food.
This has long-term consequences for children who are likely to spend their entire lives in the UK. Growing up in poverty harms their future health and career prospects, increasing potential costs to society and the economy.
The report outlines key reasons for why migrant families are disproportionately affected by poverty. These include legal barriers such as the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ (NRPF) condition, which prohibits parents from receiving benefits including universal credit, child benefit, and personal independence payment, as well as social housing and homelessness assistance.
Other reasons include institutional barriers such as steep visa and legal fees – for example the £1,258 cost to extend leave to remain on family visas – as well as practical and social barriers such as discrimination, stigma and language barriers.