Child poverty before housing costs in the Greater West of England (Children, aged 0-15)

18 Mar 2026

This data insight explores child poverty in the Greater West of England before housing costs (BHC) across the Greater West of England, focusing on children aged under 16.

The data presents comparisons with the Greater West of England and other combined authority areas. The UK average is also given for context.

The Greater West of England is defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire.

The figures are drawn from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Children in Low Income Families (CiLIF) dataset, accessed via Stat-Xplore, which uses administrative tax and benefit records to estimate the proportion of children living in low-income households. Rates are calculated as a percentage of the relevant child population cohort and exclude children in families with no recourse to public funds or those not living in private households. Child poverty is defined as the proportion of dependent children living in households below 60% of the contemporary median income, measured before housing costs.

Differences between percentages are given in percentage points (pp).

+5.1 pp

UK child poverty rate BHC (21.8%) is higher than the Greater West of England average (16.73%)

23.0%

Bristol has the highest child poverty rate BHC in the Greater West of England

16.73%

Greater West of England child poverty BHC reached its highest rate in 2023/24

35.7%

Child poverty in the West Midlands is more than double that in York and North Yorkshire (16.7%)

Child poverty before housing costs (ages 0-15)

This visualisation shows the percentage of children aged 0-15 living in households with an income below 60% of the contemporary median income before housing costs (BHC). The data are for the Greater West of England and its constituent local authorities in 2023/24. The UK average is given for comparison.

The rates suggest that child poverty BHC is not evenly distributed across the region but concentrated in specific local authorities. While the Greater West of England (16.73%) performs better than the UK average (21.8%), there are internal variations. Bristol (23.0%) exceeds the national rate, indicating a persistent concentration of child poverty, whereas Bath and North East Somerset (11.6%), and South Gloucestershire (12.7%) have lower levels.

There is an 11.5 percentage point (pp) gap between the highest and lowest local authority rates, highlighting structural differences across local authorities in the Greater West of England.

Swindon (18.0%) and Gloucestershire (17.35%) sit closer to the regional average, suggesting moderate but still notable levels of poverty.

Overall, the chart indicates that child poverty BHC remains a significant issue in certain areas, particularly in larger urban centres.

Recent trends in child poverty before housing costs (ages 0-15)

This visualisation shows trends in the child poverty rate before housing costs (BHC) in the Greater West of England and the UK, 2014/15-2023/2024.

Child poverty BHC has increased overall in both areas, but the UK has consistently recorded higher rates than the Greater West of England. This suggests a worsening trend rather than sustained improvement.

Although the Greater West of England records lower rates than the UK, it follows a similar trajectory, rising from 12.26% in 2014/15 to 16.73% in 2023/24, mirroring the national increase from 16.5% to 21.8%.

The persistent gap of around 4-6 percentage points (pp) between the UK and the Greater West of England shows that while the latter performs comparatively better, it is not immune to national pressures.

Child poverty before housing costs, geographic comparisons (ages 0-15)

This visualisation shows the child poverty rates before housing costs (BHC) in the Greater West of England, 2023/24. Comparisons are made with other combined authority areas in England and with the UK overall.

It shows that child poverty BHC is not evenly distributed across the combined authority areas, with some regional disparities. While the UK rate average is 21.8%, several areas in the North and Midlands, including the West Midlands (35.7%), West Yorkshire (33.6%) and Greater Manchester (31.6%), are significantly higher, indicating greater levels of child poverty in those regions.

By contrast, areas such as York and North Yorkshire (16.7%), the West of England (17.5%), and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (19.3%) sit below the national average and are more in line with the Greater West of England average (16.7%). This suggests comparatively lower but still substantial levels of poverty.