ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the global experience of child poverty and the striking differences in poverty experience of children in different parts of the world. Child poverty in the less developed world is then considered, followed by data from the USA and Europe, with a particular focus on the UK. The role of the debt crisis in increasing child poverty and exacerbating existing poverty in many less developed countries is considered, as are some of the reasons for increases in child poverty in some developed countries. The international maldistribution of poverty is not merely coincidental: the wealth of the rich countries depends in part on the continuing poverty of poor countries and helps to maintain low educational and income levels which benefit rich economies. Factors contributing to the upward trend in child poverty vary from country to country. The trend across all developed countries for children to replace the elderly as the most numerous age group in poverty is discussed.
