The type of table where no one wants to be on top: The highest child poverty rates in the UK. In this sobering report, several Birmingham constituencies are featured, while one area even has the majority of children (0 to 15) living in poverty.
The government published ‘Poverty in the UK: Statistics’ last month (May 6, 2026), and according to the report, Birmingham Ladywood has 53.8% of children living in poverty (2024/25).
This makes Birmingham Ladywood home to the highest child poverty rates before housing costs—an area that includes Alum Rock, Balsall Heath West, Bordesley and Highgate, Bordesley Green, Ladywood, Nechells, Newtown, Soho and Jewellery Quarter.
Other Birmingham constituencies to be included among the 10 highest are Birmingham Perry Barr (47.5%), Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North (46.9%), Birmingham Yardley (45.9%), and Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley (44.2%).
To put this into context, Richmond Park holds the lowest child poverty rate before housing costs, at 4.6%, but even when housing costs are accounted for, things don’t get much brighter for these Birmingham constituencies.
Hackney North and Stoke Newington (60.2%) takes the top spot, but Birmingham Ladywood (58.2%) only drops to second place—remaining above London’s Bethnal Green and Stepney (55.8%) and Tottenham (51.1%)
Child poverty has been shown not only to impact children’s immediate health and education, but also to make them more likely to struggle later in life, affecting everything from employment opportunities to mental health.
The government expects policies, like the removal of the two-child limit and extension of free-school meal eligibility, will help reduce child poverty across the UK. You can read the full report by heading here.
