Barnardos response to Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2025

11 March 2026. Barnardos children’s charity responds to today’s Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2025 by the CSO. The charity is concerned to see the number of children at risk of poverty in Ireland increased in 2025 (from 15.3% to 16.9). The survey shows that just over one in six children were at risk of poverty last year. This would have been significantly higher, almost one in five children (19.2%), if it wasn’t for cost of living measures in Budget 2025.

The overall number of children experiencing deprivation saw a small decrease, however the number remains far too high for a wealthy country which has had record level income the past few years. One in five children experienced deprivation last year (19.6%), and this is likely to have been higher but for cost of living measures. One in five children went without essentials and basic necessities, such as sufficient clothing, adequate nutrition and heating and electricity.

Barnardos is concerned that yet again, the starkest figures relate to children living in one-parent families. Although the numbers of children in those households at risk of poverty decreased slightly (due to cost of living measures) the number experiencing deprivation increased. Almost half of children in those homes faced deprivation (48.7%). A child living in a lone parent family in Ireland in 2025 was four times more likely to experience deprivation compared to a child in a two-parent family and three and a half times more likely to experience consistent poverty.

Barnardos children’s charity is calling on the Government to continue to provide targeted supports for struggling families and households in which children are most at risk of poverty and deprivation. If we want to see a downward trajectory targeted supports need to be sustained and increased over multiple years alongside supports for specific items such as energy.

Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: ‘The latest statistics demonstrate limited progress was made last year in tackling child poverty and deprivation. A significant proportion of families we support continued to struggle to provide children with basic essentials last year. Many of them are deeply concerned about recent world events and the prospect of escalating costs for essentials. Too many children we support continue to live in homes with parents struggling to provide their children with the basics. The Government needs to continue targeting supports at families most at risk of deprivation. The longer children experience deprivation the bigger an impact it has on their current and future health, development and overall wellbeing – because childhood lasts a lifetime.’