Number of people in 'very deep poverty' at highest level in more than

The number of people living in “very deep poverty” in the UK is at the highest level in more than 30 years, a charity has warned.

In its latest report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said data up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year shows more than one in five people in the UK, around 14.2 million, are in poverty.

That figure is a slight drop from last year, but the charity said: “Scratch below the surface, there are signs of change: a definitive deepening of poverty.”

It noted that in 2023/24, 6.8 million people – almost half of all of those in poverty – were considered to be in “very deep poverty”.

The JRF said it is both the highest absolute number and the highest proportion of people in “very deep poverty” on record since it started tracking government data in 1994/95.

What is the difference between poverty and very deep poverty?

While the JRF notes “there is no single best measure of poverty”, criteria can include relative income poverty, which holds the line as being for those earning roughly 60% of the median household income.

Under this, deep poverty is defined as households earning below 50% of the median income, and very deep poverty as below 40%.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the median household income in the UK as of April 2024 is £36,700.

This would mean that poverty would see household income at around £22,070, while “very deep” poverty would be considered as below £14,680.

The report, called UK Poverty 2026, uses the latest data from up to the end of the 2023/24 financial year, just before Labour won that year’s general election.

Warning on child poverty after benefit cap removed

In it, the JRF also warned that progress on tackling child poverty from the government removing the two-child benefit cap will likely stall after April if no follow-up measures are announced.