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[29 May 2012] - Unicef has warned that austerity measures imposed by the government will undo the progress achieved on child poverty in the early years of the economic crisis. In its latest report card on child poverty, Unicef used two measures to judge wealthy countries’ performance on child poverty. Based on statistics from 2009, the UK came ninth out of 29 countries for child deprivation, higher than Germany, France and Italy, but below Ireland, Norway and Finland. Deprivation was calculated on the percentage of children living without two or more of the 14 items judged by Unicef as essential, including three meals a day and a quiet place to do homework. But on the measure of relative poverty, which is based on the percentage of households living below 50 per cent of the national median income, the UK came 22nd out of 35 countries, below Estonia and Hungary, but above the USA and Romania. David Bull, executive director of Unicef UK, said: “This report shows how committed government action can make a big difference for children. "The UK should be proud that our commitment to end child poverty by 2020 in the past has seen a clear improvement in reducing child poverty and protecting vulnerable children from deprivation. “However, we know that the number of children living in poverty in the UK is set to increase due to spending cuts. This will be a catastrophic blow to the futures of thousands of children. “One thing is clear; government policies to tackle the deficit must not harm children.” In 2007, the UK was ranked at the bottom of Unicef’s league table on child wellbeing. The latest report shows that the UK performed well on its spend on families, allocating the second highest percentage of GDP out of 35 countries on benefits, tax breaks and services, beaten only by France. Further Information: