The number of children living in long-term workless households across the UK has reached its highest level in almost a decade. Official statistics show 1.22 million children now live in homes where no adult has worked for at least 12 months, representing 9.4% of all children in 2024.
This marks a significant increase from 1.06 million children (9.2%) in 2023 and returns to levels not seen since 2015, when 1.23 million children lived in such circumstances. The Office for National Statistics defines a workless household as one containing at least one person aged 16 to 64 with no employment.
Regional Disparities
The data reveals stark geographical differences across the country. North-east England records the highest proportion at 16.6%, followed by the North West at 12.4%. In contrast, the South East and South West show the lowest rates at 6.8% and 6.6% respectively.
Scotland saw its proportion rise to 11.3% from 9.8% the previous year, while Wales increased from 8.4% to 10.4%. Northern Ireland bucked the trend with a slight decrease from 12.7% to 11.9%.
Reversing Progress
The figures represent a troubling reversal of previous improvements. The proportion of children in workless households had fallen consistently from a peak of 14.0% in 2010 to just 7.9% in 2020. The ONS, which began tracking this data in 2006, classifies these estimates as "statistics in development" based on its Household Annual Population Survey.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
