Between 2010 and 2024, the number of children living in poverty increased by 700,000.

The core claim is correct in direction and magnitude but the number is understated for the stated end year. On the relative low-income (after housing costs) measure, children in poverty rose from about 3.6m in 2010/11 to 4.3m in 2022/23 (+700,000), but the latest HBAI figures for FYE 2024 show about 4.5m, an increase of roughly 900,000 since 2010/11. So '700,000' matches 2022/23 rather than 2024.

▸ House of Lords Library — Child poverty: Statistics, causes and the UK's policy response

Checked Wed 1 Jul, 09:52 · Broadcast: PMQs: Prime Minister's Questions - 22 April 2026

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