Economic inequality in wealthy countries is linked to worse physical health and poorer academic outcomes among children, according to an analysis published today by UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence - Innocenti.
Report Card 20: Unequal Chances - Children and economic inequality examines the relationship between economic inequalities and children's wellbeing in 44 OECD and high-income countries and finds that, in most of these countries, rates of income inequality and child poverty remain stubbornly high. On average across the countries, households among the top 20 per cent of earners take home over five times more than the bottom 20 per cent, while, on average across countries, almost one in five children live in income poverty, meaning their basic needs may not be met.
"Inequality profoundly affects how children learn, what they eat, and how they feel about life," said UNICEF Innocenti Director, Bo Viktor Nylund. "To limit the worst impacts of inequality, we need urgently to invest more in the health, nutrition and education of children in the most deprived communities."
There is a clear relationship between higher levels of economic inequality and children's health, according to the report. Children growing up in the most unequal countries are 1.7 times more likely to be overweight than those in the most equal countries, which may reflect poorer quality diets and missed meals.
Highlighting data from European Union countries, the report also notes that only 58 per cent of children in families among the bottom fifth of earners are in very good health, compared with 73 per cent among the top fifth.
The report draws a link between economic inequality and educational performance. It notes that countries with wider gaps between rich and poor tend to have lower academic test scores overall. Children in the most unequal countries have a 65 per cent chance of leaving school without basic proficiency in reading and mathematics compared with 40 per cent for children in the most equal countries.
These inequalities between countries are replicated within countries, with wide gaps in the test scores of children from the wealthiest and poorest families within individual countries. On average, 83 per cent of 15-year-olds in families among the top fifth of earners have basic proficiency in mathematics and reading compared to 42 per cent in the bottom fifth.
The report calls on governments and stakeholders to take action in several policy areas to minimise the impact of inequality on children's well-being, in particular by reducing child poverty. Action can include:
- Improve safety nets, including family and child benefits and minimum wages, to help ensure no child grows up in poverty.
- Support disadvantaged communities with subsidised housing, improvements to infrastructure in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, and investment in public facilities like green spaces and leisure facilities.
- Address inequalities in education by minimising socio-economic segregation in schools; ensuring that schools are appropriately staffed and equipped regardless of students' economic backgrounds; and by providing children with healthy and nutritious school meals.
- Engage with children to better understand their perspectives on how inequality affects them and their families and to develop solutions that promote their wellbeing.
