Coronavirus pandemic may push 86 million more children into household poverty by 2020-end

The number of children living in poor households across low and middle-income countries could increase by 86 million to reach 672 million by the end of 2020 due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study.The deadly virus has so far infected 5,695,290 people and claimed 355,692 lives globally, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

“The economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic could push up to 86 million more children into household poverty by the end of 2020, an increase of 15 per cent,” said the study conducted jointly by the UNICEF and humanitarian organisation Save the Children.The analysis highlighted that without urgent action to protect families from the financial hardships caused by the pandemic, the total number of children living below the national poverty line in low and middle-income countries could reach 672 million by year-end.

Nearly two-thirds of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and countries across Europe and Central Asia could see the most significant increase, up to 44 per cent across the region. Latin America and the Caribbean could see a 22 per cent increase.”The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an unprecedented socio-economic crisis that is draining resources for families all over the world,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement.

“The scale and depth of financial hardship among families threatens to roll back years of progress in reducing child poverty and to leave children deprived of essential services. Without concerted action, families barely getting by could be pushed into poverty, and the poorest families could face levels of deprivation that have not been seen for decades,” Fore said.