World Children's Day

  Poverty poisons childhood. It claims the lives of children, undermines their health and development, and limits their ability to learn. The consequences are lifelong: Adults who grew up in poverty have weaker job prospects, live shorter lives and are more likely to experience depression and anxiety. Poverty also poisons societies. By limiting children’s ability to realize their full potential, poverty undermines future economic prosperity. By dividing the haves from the have-nots, it frays the bonds that tie us together. And by depriving communities of hope, it creates conditions in which violence and extremism can thrive. At a time in history when global military spending has reached a record US$2.72 trillion, hundreds of millions of children continue to live each day in deprivation, without basics like schooling, clean water and a home. Why? The answer is not one of scarcity or resources; it is one of priorities. When progress is the priority While far too many children still l...

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified treaty in history. Signed 36 years ago today, it affirms a simple truth: When we protect the youngest members of the human family, we build a better world. But right now, children’s rights are under attack. Poverty and emergencies are stealing education. Climate chaos is jeopardizing futures. And new dangers lurk in the online world. Too many children already carry burdens far beyond their years, earning income or caring for siblings. And famine and war have robbed thousands of the most basic right of all: The right to life. Every child’s circumstances are unique. But every child has the same rights, no matter who they are or where they live. This World Children’s Day , let us listen to children. And let us amplify their voices as they stand up for their rights. The future is defined by how we care for the next generation. We must unite to build a safe and equal world for every child. António Guterres.

World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action for children , by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child . Child rights are human rights . They are non-negotiable and universal. But in too many places today children’s rights are being misunderstood, disregarded or even denied and attacked. Upholding children’s rights is the compass to a better world – today, tomorrow and into the future. This November 20th , World Children’s Day, join us and listen to the future. By listening to children we can fulfil their right to self-expression , understand their ideas for a better world and include their priorities in our actions today. Discover what’s happening and take part . Looking for inspiration?  See the  highlights  from World Children’s Day last year.

Who is most at risk of child poverty? The world’s youngest children experience higher rates of poverty than older ones. Children with disabilities, children living in rural areas, and indigenous children experience higher rates of poverty than other children. Historic levels of conflict are also driving more children into poverty, with half of all children in fragile and conflict-affected settings living in extreme poverty. Children who are displaced or refugees, though often undercounted, face heightened poverty risk both in transit and upon arrival. Where is child poverty most common? Together, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia account for almost 9 out of 10 children living in extreme monetary poverty. Such concentration in these two regions is no reason for complacency elsewhere. Substantial levels of child poverty exist around the world, even in countries that are now considered relatively well off. In high-income countries, about 50 million children live in monetary poverty, mean...

More than 1 in 5 children in low- and middle-income countries are severely deprived of sanitation  in at least two vital areas critical for their health, development and well-being. Sanitation is the most widespread severe deprivation, with 65 per cent of children lacking access to a toilet in low-income countries, 26 per cent in lower-middle income countries, and 11 per cent in upper-middle income countries. For children, poverty undermines their health and development, limits their ability to learn, and leads to weaker job prospects, shorter lives, and higher rates of depression and anxiety. For societies, poverty undermines future economic prosperity and by depriving communities of hope , it creates conditions in which violence and extremism can thrive.

Every child has a right to survive, thrive and shape the world around them. Throughout The State of the World’s Children 2025 , you’ll find stories and quotes from children and young people. Many of their stories are shaped by crises – with funding cuts closing classrooms, conflicts causing displacement, or the loss of family members upending livelihoods. In too many, children carry burdens far beyond their years. But their stories also illustrate the hope and possibility of childhood , as c hildren and young people seek out their rights to learn, to be healthy, and to play. And they are unified in their hope for a better future. Solutions to end poverty must include the voices of those most affected. It's time to listen to children .

Decades of effort to end child poverty have uncovered proven strategies that are essential for making progress. Ending child poverty is a policy choice.

These pillars focus on integrating efforts across nutrition , health , education , housing and the labour market . They also prioritize equity and empowerment, helping families to become self-sufficient , while leveraging evidence-based design across interventions.

Embedding child poverty reduction in laws, plans and budgets transforms it from aspiration into binding obligation. Prioritizing child poverty in national strategies drives political commitment, mobilizing resources and ensuring coordinated action across sectors. Integrating child poverty into broader development frameworks also strengthens accountability and secures sustained funding. Learn more on the Ways to Make ending child poverty a national priority .

Reducing child poverty requires embedding children’s needs into economic and fiscal governance . Central banks should assess how interest rate changes affect families, and legal frameworks should protect child-related spending and include automatic inflation adjustments. Child-sensitive budgeting and transparency mechanisms also support accountability – countries with more transparent budgets tend to spend more on health care and child well-being . Learn more on the Ways to integrate children’s needs into economic policies and budgets .

Both universal and targeted family and child benefits have demonstrably helped reduce child poverty rates, improved nutrition and health, and increased school attendance and completion . Targeted cash transfer programmes have proven effective in countries including Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, while Poland’s universal child benefit has helped drive a substantial reduction in child poverty rates . Still, approximately 1.6 billion children globally lack any form of social protection coverage. Learn more on the Ways to Expand inclusive social protection .

Children need reliable access to education, healthcare, water, sanitation, nutrition, information, play and housing to support their learning, development and well-being. Indonesia’s School Operational Assistance programme has reduced financial burdens on families while increasing enrolment and retention, while Bangladesh’s integrated maternal and infant nutrition efforts have steadily lowered the country’s stunting rates. Lean more on the ways to Expand access to quality public services

  Children’s well-being is closely tied to their caregivers’ economic security . Despite a low global unemployment rate, more than 58 per cent of the global workforce were informally employed in 2023. In Africa, 29 per cent of working people were living in poverty – more than four times the global rate. Practical steps to ensure decent work include legislating and enforcing minimum wages, increasing formalization through incentives, extending social security to informal workers. Policies must also support workers’ care responsibilities through paid parental leave and affordable childcare. Learn more on the Promotion of decent work for parents and caregivers to end child poverty .

While proven solutions exist, three immediate crises threaten to undermine efforts to reduce child poverty. These crises are harming children now – destroying livelihoods, displacing families, disrupting education, and causing hunger and malnutrition. They demand adaptation and strategic, scalable solutions. Without urgent action, we risk consigning millions more children to lives of deprivation. The climate and environmental crises Rising levels of conflict The funding crisis and underinvestment in children

Each year, four out of five children face at least one extreme climate hazard , such as a heatwave, flood or drought. Climate hazards and poverty form a vicious cycle. Children living in poverty are more likely to be exposed to extreme climate hazards, and these climate hazards push families deeper into poverty. To protect all children, responses need to include strengthening climate-resilient infrastructure and services , while better supporting displaced children . Learn more about  The climatic and environmental crises

The world is experiencing a historic rise in armed conflict . In 2024, about 19 per cent of the world’s children lived in a conflict area – double the proportion 30 years ago. Conflict causes poverty by undermining economic stability, destroying infrastructure, and disrupting public services like water, education, and energy. It puts children’s lives and futures at risk. To protect children in these settings, responses need to include ensuring humanitarian access , investing in social protection, and prioritizing education. Learn more on the Rising levels of conflict

Too many governments face a difficult challenge: how to invest adequately in children when funding is scarce. Forty-five of the world’s developing countries now pay more in debt interest than they spend on health, and 22 spend more on interest than education. If this trend continues, we risk creating an indebted generation – a cohort of children whose futures are compromised as countries struggle to service debt incurred before they were born. At the same time, unprecedented cuts in development aid could result in the deaths of at least 4.5 million children under age 5 by 2030. Funding cuts directly impact life-saving programmes, forcing the delay or suspension of critical supports in education, health, and protection for children caught in crises. Traditional solutions, like austerity or borrowing from new sources, risk deepening the crisis. Instead, debt restructuring can align the incentives of lenders and borrowing governments to transform obligations into opportunities . In su...

We have evidence of what works when conditions allow, and we have promising, scalable adaptations for when they don’t. What we need now is the will – to implement proven strategies , to listen to and learn from children , and to innovate solutions that can withstand today’s converging crises . The rights of every child must be fully realized and upheld. Our collective future depends on it.

At its core, poverty is a lack of financial resources . This alone does not capture the full reality for children. Child poverty must also be understood through the lens of the multiple deprivations children face in their daily lives. This chapter explores child poverty through both monetary and multidimensional definitions, disaggregated by country income group. It highlights the progress made to date, while emphasizing how fragile and uneven that progress remains.