According to Eurostat, in 2011, 27% of children aged less than 18 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU, compared with 24% of adults (aged 18-64) and 21% of the elderly (aged 65 and over). Data by member state shows that the highest shares of those aged less than 18 who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2011 were registered in Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Ireland.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published its figures with regard to the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU. These figures show that in 2011, 27% of children aged less than 18 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Also, children are at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion than the rest of the population. Moreover, almost one child in two with parents of low education level is at risk of poverty in the EU, and almost one child in three with a migrant background is at risk of poverty. In 2010, 115 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

With regard to the data registered by member state, in a majority of Member States, children are more affected by at least one of the three forms of poverty or social exclusion than the other two age groups. In 2011, the highest shares of those aged less than 18 who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion were registered in Bulgaria (52%), Romania (49%), Latvia (44%), Hungary (40%) and Ireland (38% in 2010), and the lowest in Sweden, Denmark and Finland (all 16%), followed by Slovenia (17%), the Netherlands (18%) and Austria (19%).

Persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion are those who are at least in one of the following three conditions: at-risk-of-poverty, severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity. The figures published by Eurostat are based on data from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Condition (EU-SILC) survey. Among others, the report looks at several factors affecting child poverty, such as the composition of the household in which the children live and the labour market situation of their parents.