New figures show 13 million live in poverty

THE number of people living in poverty in the UK has risen by almost half a million, according to new figures.

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There were an estimated 13.40 million individuals in households below the poverty line in the year 2024/25, according to the latest government data.

This was up from an estimated 12.93 million people in 2023/24, the figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed. Households where income is less than 60% of the median national average, after housing costs, are considered to be living in poverty.

The data showed a slight fall in the number of children in poverty. There were an estimated 4.03 million children in relative low income after housing costs in the year 2024/25, compared with an estimated 4.04 million previously. The figures also showed: