One in eight people living in poverty
Date published:
New Official Statistics in Development published today by NISRA statisticians in the Department for Communities, present estimates of poverty and income inequality in Northern Ireland for the 2024/25 financial year.
Key Findings
- In 2024/25, 12% of individuals in Northern Ireland (approximately 232,000 people) were in relative poverty before housing costs (BHC), down from 14% in 2023/24. The same proportion, 12% were in absolute poverty (BHC), a statistically significant decrease from 16% in 2023/24.
- Child poverty has decreased significantly. An estimated 15% of children (approximately 67,000) were in relative poverty (BHC) in 2024/25, down from 18% in 2023/24. The proportion in absolute poverty (BHC) also fell significantly, from 21% to 15%. Despite this improvement, the long term trend shows that children are at a higher risk of living in poverty than the overall Northern Ireland population in both relative and absolute measures.
- Around 40,000 children were in combined low income and material deprivation in 2024/25, representing 9% of all children in Northern Ireland.
- Working-age adult poverty has also declined. The proportion of working-age adults in relative poverty (BHC) fell from 12% in 2023/24 to 11% in 2024/25 (approximately 123,000 people). Absolute poverty (BHC) for this group similarly decreased from 14% to 11%.
- Pensioner poverty remains low compared to the general population. An estimated 8% of pensioners (approximately 26,000) were in relative poverty after housing costs (AHC) in 2024/25, up slightly from 7% in 2023/24. Absolute poverty (AHC) for pensioners decreased from 9% to 8%. Over the last four years pensioners have generally been at a lower risk of being in poverty (AHC) than the population as a whole.
- Household incomes rose across all income groups. All five income quintiles saw an increase in equivalised weekly net household income between 2023/24 and 2024/25. Lower-income households (quintiles 1 and 2) experienced larger increases than middle-income households (quintiles 3 and 4), though the highest earners (quintile 5) saw the largest overall gains.
- Income inequality showed little overall change. The Gini index (a standard measure of income inequality) remained at 27% on an after housing costs (AHC) basis, with a small decrease on a before housing costs (BHC) basis, from 26% to 25%.
About the publication
This report presents annual estimates of the proportion of people, children, working-age adults and pensioners in Northern Ireland living in poverty, and other statistics on household income and income inequality. Unless otherwise stated, these statistics are based on net income and adjusted for household size (equivalised). Poverty is defined at the household level. If the household income is below the poverty threshold, all people within the household are in poverty. The main source of data used in this report is the Family Resources Survey Northern Ireland (FRS NI).
Please note this publication includes substantial methodological updates that affect how poverty and income statistics are produced for Northern Ireland. See report for further information.
Further information
Read the report: Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality Report, 2024/25
View background information and data tables: Northern Ireland Poverty and Income Inequality report 2024-25