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Poverty and family structure

Proportion of households in poverty by family type (2022/23)

This indicator was last updated in May 2024. It is now archived and will no longer be updated. Explore London’s Poverty Profile to view our up to date indicators. You can explore all of our data on poverty rates by demographics here. If you have any questions, get in touch.

What does this indicator show?

This indicator shows the proportion of people in poverty in London (after housing costs) by family structure. A person is classed as being in poverty if they earn below 60% of the median income. You can find out more about how poverty is measured here.

What does it tell us?

Families made up of a single adult with children are the most likely to be in poverty. In London 47% of these family types are counted as being in poverty, with 44% in the rest of England. Other single person household types follow next, with couple households showing lower poverty rates. Couples pensioners and couples without children are the least likely to be in poverty - 13% and 14%, respectively, of this family type were in poverty in London for 2022/23.

The family structure of Londoners in poverty

The chart below shows the make-up of London households in poverty, by family structure. Families with children make up more than a third of all Londoners in poverty (40%). Single persons without children also make up a quarter of all Londoners in poverty (25%).

Family types in poverty (2022/23)

Want to know more?

If you want to explore this data in more depth, check the 'data source and notes' button on the above charts. This will tell you where the data comes from, where you may be able to dig deeper.