Table 3.  Trends in Child Poverty, 1970-1997

 

 

Nation

Year of Survey

< 1971

1972-1975

1976-1981

1982-1985

1986-1988

1989-1993

1994-19971

  United States

69, 74, 79, 86, 91, 97

13.1

17.3

18.5

 

22.9

21.5

22.7 -> 20.3

WESTERN EUROPE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Austria

87

 

 

 

 

4.8

 

 

  Belgium

85, 88, 92, 96

 

 

 

3.4

3.1

3.8

5.1

  Denmark

87, 92

 

 

 

 

5.3

4.0

 

  Finland

87, 91, 95

 

 

 

 

2.9

2.5

3.2

  France

79, 84,89, 94

 

 

6.3

6.5/8.6

 

7.5

7.2

  Germany (West)2,3

73, 78, 83/84, 89, 94

 

4.0

3.2

4.8/6.4

 

4.4

8.7

  Ireland

87

 

 

 

 

12.0

 

 

  Italy

86, 91, 95

 

 

 

 

10.8

9.6

19.5

  Luxembourg

85, 91, 94

 

 

 

4.1

 

3.6

4.6

  Netherlands4

83, 87, 91, 94

 

 

 

2.5

3.6

4.1

7.0

  Norway

79, 86, 91, 95

 

 

3.8

 

3.8

4.6

3.7

  Spain

80, 90

 

 

12.3

 

 

11.9

 

  Sweden

67, 75, 81, 87, 92, 95

3.5

1.9

3.9

 

3.0

2.7

2.4

  Switzerland

82, 92

 

 

 

3.3

 

6.4

6.7

  United Kingdom

69, 74, 79, 86,91, 95

5.3

7.0

8.5

 

9.9

16.7

16.3

EASTERN EUROPE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Czech Republic

92

 

 

 

 

 

3.4

 

  Hungary

91, 95

 

 

 

 

 

9.5

10.1

  Poland

86, 92, 95

 

 

 

 

10.6

9.0

12.7

  Russia

92, 95

 

 

 

 

 

19.9

23.2

  Slovak Republic

92

 

 

 

 

 

3.2

 

OTHER:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Australia

82, 86, 90, 94

 

 

14.0

13.1

 

14.0

13.5

  Canada

71, 75, 81, 87, 91, 94, 97

15.2

14.6

13.9

 

13.6

13.5

13.1 -> 13.9

  Israel

79, 86, 92, 97

 

 

8.2

 

11.1

10.6

11.3

  Taiwan

86, 91

 

 

 

 

5.8

9.9

 

 

Notes:

1. LIS has annual data for the United States from 1994 to 1997. The child poverty rates for these years are as follows:  1994: 22.7; 1995: 20.1; 1996: 19.9; 1997: 20.3

2. For comparison, the 1994 rate for West Germany is given in this table. Elsewhere in the text the rates are for all of Germany.

3. There is a survey change in Germany from 83 to 84 and after.

4. There are significant changes in the Dutch data which are likely to affect the comparability from year to year.

 

 

 

Rainwater, Lee and Timothy M. Smeeding. Table 1.3 “Trends in Child Poverty in Twenty-Five Countries, 1970-1997.” In Poor Kids in a Rich Country. ©Russell Sage Foundation, 112 East 64th Street, New York, NY 10021.  Reprinted with permission.