Measuring child poverty
The North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, has made tackling child poverty her number one priority during her term of office. In September 2024, the country’s first Child Poverty Reduction Unit (CPRU) was set up and this Unit has developed an action plan for the region.
The North East Child Poverty Action Plan was approved in July 2025. It highlights eight key data sets that can be tracked to measure progress.
These key measures include the percentages of children in low income households, before and after housing costs are taken into account. There are other measures that focus on the impact of low income such as food insecurity and on its causes such as economic inactivity.
The Action Plan also pledges that we will enhance the way that we monitor the impact of the Plan's interventions.
Our spotlight page shows the latest data for the key measures at the time of the Plan's approval and gives additional information about the sources.
Child poverty data
The section below includes links to data reports that provide analysis of rates and trends in statistics for key topic areas relating to child poverty. The section will be further populated during the second half of 2025.
Children in low income families
The headline measure of child poverty. Details of relative child poverty within the North East before and after housing costs, and of further measures relating to this topic area.
Poverty and deprivation
Child poverty
Free school meal eligibility
The number and percentage of North East state-funded pupils eligible for free school meals
Poverty and deprivation
Education and skills
Child poverty
Low income and deprivation data
This section includes links to reports relating to low income statistics. As well as measuring household low income, the reports focus on causes such as worklessness and low pay. It also includes links to data on related topics such as deprivation. The section will also be further populated during the second half of 2025.
Index of Multiple Deprivation
Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) analysis of LEP comparators and North East LEP LAs
Poverty and deprivation
Low income and deprivation
Claimant count
Numbers of people claiming unemployment-related benefit. A more timely dataset than local unemployment rates.
Labour market
Poverty and deprivation
Non-workers
Low income and deprivation
Economic inactivity rate
The economically inactive are non-workers who are not actively seeking employment. Including information about the main reason for inactivity and comparisons by sex and age group.
Labour market
Poverty and deprivation
Non-workers
Low income and deprivation
Unemployment rate
Unemployed people are not in work, but are actively seeking employment. Includes comparisons of headline rates (the proportion of economically active population that are unemployed).
Labour market
Poverty and deprivation
Non-workers
Low income and deprivation