UK poverty

Poverty in the UK

More than 13 million people in the UK live in poverty – that’s one in five of the population.

Many people can't afford essential clothing, or to heat their homes. Children go to school hungry, or to bed without enough food.

It's not just outrageous – it's unnecessary. With enough public pressure for change – and enough political will – our politicians can put this right.

Carol, from Oxford, explains a bit about what poverty means to her, and how things have got harder recently.

Find out more about poverty in the UK, Oxfam's work here, and resources that might be useful.

Contact us

Contact details for media and spokespeople

What is poverty in the UK?

Many people are unsure what we mean by poverty in the UK. That's fair enough – it can be hard to picture.

Income is crucial – not having enough money to pay for the things you need. Food, heating, repairing the oven. But poverty is about more than income.

It's about the powerlessness that comes with feeling you're stuck, without a say in decisions that effect you. The stress that comes with trying to make a small budget stretch. The lack of access to decent services. It's about being unable to participate in the society in which you live.

Poverty is not about individual laziness. No one chooses to live in poverty. Our experience shows us that poverty is caused by circumstances beyond an individual's control: things like your gender, your nationality, or where you live.

Find out more about the facts (PDF) on poverty in the UK. Or watch John and Donna, a young couple from Thornaby, explaining what it means to them.

Our work tackling poverty in the UK

Our work concentrates on five areas – click on each to find out more.

1. Ensuring everyone has a decent living
2. Fighting for the rights of vulnerable workers
3. Tackling women's poverty in the UK
4. Influencing public attitudes to poverty
5. Building strong and diverse communities.

Find out more about where we work on our interactive map.

In each area, we try and do two things:

1. develop projects with people living in poverty to improve their lives and show how things can change
2. raise public and politicians' awareness of poverty and its causes, and lobby to bring about change

Resources

We have a wide range of resources available to download for free. They include reports, consultation responses, training manuals and leaflets. Contact us if you'd like more information about any of them, or to request hard copies.