The number of children living in poor households fell by half a million or about 15 per cent in the four years from 1998-9 according to government figures.

In 2001-2 there were 2.7 million children living in households with below 60 per cent of median household income before housing costs, and 3.8 million on median income after housing costs. Five years before the figure was 3.2 million.

Children are more at risk of poverty than adults. Those in lone parent families, in couple families where parents work only part time, in families with three or more children and with a mother aged 24 or under are most likely to live in low income households.

Among working aged adults relative poverty has barely changed, falling from 4.9 million to 4.8 million over the same five-year period. The number of pensioners living in relative poverty rose from 2.1 to 2.2 million.

- The report Households below Average Income - 1994/5 to 2001/02 is available at www.dwp.gov.uk/asd