Number of children in poverty by housing tenure in London (2004/05 - 2023/24)
Last updated: June 2025
Next estimated update: May 2025
What does this indicator show?
This indicator shows the number of children growing up in poverty in London, split by their housing tenure. (Note: data are excluded for 2020/21 due to survey quality concerns because of COVID-19.)
What does it tell us?
300,000 children in private rented housing are in poverty
In 2023/24, the number of children in London who live in private rented accommodation and are in poverty is 300,000 - the joint highest on record. This is three times higher than two decades ago.
Children in private rented accommodation make up 42% of all children in poverty - compared to 17% in 2004/05. Despite this, the poverty rate within this group has decreased over the years; in 2004/05 the poverty rate for children in private rented accommodation in London was 56% and in 2023/24 it was 50%. This reflects the increasing reliance on the private rented sector to provide Londoners with homes.
More than 3 in 5 children in social housing are in poverty
300,000 children in London living in the social rented sector were growing up in poverty in 2023/24. This is an increase on the previous year - but it’s a decrease on 2019/20, when the number of children in social housing in poverty peaked at 350,000.
The poverty rate among this group is the highest amongst all the tenure types at 61%. In other words, more than three in five children in social housing in London are in poverty.
Overall, more than eight in ten (84%) children in poverty in London live in either the social or private rented sectors.
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