Children - material deprivation

Data extracted in April 2023

Planned article update: February 2026

Highlights

In 2021, 3.8 % of children with parents who had a high level of education were materially deprived.

In 2021, 39.1 % of children with parents who had a low level of education were materially deprived.

Child material deprivation, 2021

This article presents statistical data on the situation of children (aged less than 16 years) in the European Union (EU) who were materially deprived in 2021. Material deprivation is defined as an enforced lack of at least three items from a set of 17 items (12 child-specific and 5 household-specific). The analysis compares children of different age groups and examines the impact of their parents' educational level. All figures are based on EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) available from Eurostat’s online database. EU-SILC data are available for all EU Member States.

Full article

Key findings

In 2021, 13.0 % of children (aged less than 16 years) in the EU were materially deprived. The highest rate was recorded for children aged 12-15 years old – 14.6 % compared with 11.1 % for children aged under six.

Figure 1: Child material deprivation, 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_chmd01)

One of the factors influencing material deprivation of children in the EU in 2021 was parents’ level of education. 39.1 % of children whose parents’ level of education was low experienced material deprivation compared with 3.8 % of children whose parents’ level of education was high.

Child material deprivation by age groups

In 2021, at EU level, the child material deprivation rate was highest in the age group 12-15 years and lowest among children aged under six (14.6 % as compared with 11.1 %). This pattern was repeated in 12 out of the 27 EU Member States, with the highest differences recorded in Romania (16.6 percentage points), Bulgaria (12.6 percentage points) and Lithuania (11.5 percentage points)(see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Child material deprivation, by age group, 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_chmd01)

Level of education of the parents

One of the factors that affects material deprivation of children (further to the reducing effect that targeted social transfers can have) is the level of education of their parents, which is largely linked to their labour market situation.

Children whose parents attained a lower educational level are more likely to experience material deprivation compared with children whose parents attained a higher education level. An adult’s education level affects the type of job an individual can access. Generally, the lower the level, the higher the risk is for the individual and for the household, including children, to experience material deprivation compared with those with a higher educational level.

In 2021, 39.1 % of children in the EU living in a household whose parents had a low level of education of at most lower secondary (ISCED levels 0-2), were experiencing material deprivation. On the other hand, the respective rate for children living in the households whose parents had a high level of education (tertiary education, ISCED levels 5-8), was 3.8 % — see Figure 3. The child material deprivation gap for children based on the parents’ level of education — difference of child material deprivation rate between the highest and lowest levels of parents’ education — was therefore 35.3 percentage points. The gap among the EU Member States ranged from 8.2 percentage points in Poland and 13.9 points in Germany to 74.4 percentage points in Hungary and 79.0 percentage points in Romania. In 8 out of the 27 Member States the gap was above 50.0 percentage points.

Figure 3: Child material deprivation, by the highest level of education attained by their parents, 2021 (%)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_chmd03)

Source data for tables and graphs

Children - material deprivation: tables and figures

Data sources

The data used in this article are derived from EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). EU-SILC data are compiled annually and are the main source of statistics that measure income and living conditions in Europe; it is also the main source of information used to link different aspects relating to the quality of life of households and individuals.

Information on material deprivation specific to children was collected in 2021 as a part of the three-yearly variables on Children based on Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2242. The reference population for the information presented in this article is all private households and their current members residing in the territory of an EU Member State (or non-member country) at the time of data collection; persons living in collective households and in institutions are excluded from the target population. The data for the EU are population-weighted averages of national data.

Context

The child specific deprivation rate is the percentage of children below 16 who suffer from the enforced lack of at least three items out of the following 17 (unweighted) items:

Child: Some new clothes
Child: Two pairs of shoes
Child: Fresh fruits and vegetables daily
Child: Meat, chicken, fish daily
Child: Suitable books
Child: Outdoor leisure equipment
Child: Indoor games
Child: Leisure activities
Child: Celebrations
Child: Invite friends
Child: School trips
Child: Holiday
Household: Replace worn-out furniture
Household: Arrears
Adults in the household: Internet^[1]
Household: Home adequately warm
Household: Car

Only children lacking an item for affordability reasons (and not by choice or due to any other reasons) are considered deprived of this item. Those lacking the item “for other reasons” are treated, together with those who have the item, as not deprived.

Educational attainment level is classified according to ISCED — the international standard classification of education. The (latest) 2011 version has the following levels:

Low level of education: • ISCED level 0 — early childhood • ISCED level 1 — primary education • ISCED level 2 — lower secondary education

Medium level of education: • ISCED level 3 — (upper) secondary education • ISCED level 4 — post-secondary non-tertiary education - medium level of education;

High level of education: • ISCED level 5 — short-cycle tertiary education; • ISCED level 6 — bachelor’s or equivalent level; • ISCED level 7 — master’s or equivalent level; • ISCED level 8 — doctoral or equivalent level.

The educational level of children’s parents is defined for this article as the highest level of education attained by one of the parents. For example, if father has a low level of education of at most lower secondary (ISCED "levels 0-2"), and mother has a medium level of education (upper-secondary education) (ISCED "levels 3-4") it is considered that the child’s parents have a medium level of education.

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Notes

↑ If at least half of the adults in the household are deprived of this item, the child is considered deprived of the item.

[1] If at least half of the adults in the household are deprived of this item, the child is considered deprived of the item.

[1]