Overview
- UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2025 finds more than one in five children in low‑ and middle‑income countries face two or more severe deprivations, including 118 million with three or more.
- Over 19% of children globally live in extreme monetary poverty on less than $3 a day, with nearly 90% in Sub‑Saharan Africa and South Asia, and 23% of children in high‑income countries living in relative poverty.
- The share of children facing at least one severe deprivation fell from 51% in 2013 to 41% in 2023, yet progress is stalling and sanitation remains the widest gap, with 65% of children in low‑income countries lacking a toilet.
- India is cited for rapid gains with 248 million people exiting multidimensional poverty since 2013–14, yet about 206 million Indian children still lack at least one essential service and 62 million face two or more.
- UNICEF urges protected social spending, inclusive cash transfers and stronger services, warning that conflict, climate shocks, debt and aid cuts could leave six million more children out of school next year and lead to 4.5 million additional under‑5 deaths by 2030.