The Social Metrics Commission’s 2020 report on poverty in the UK is being published amidst the most significant health, social and economic crisis of modern times. When Commissioners first gathered in 2016 to begin to develop a new measure of poverty, we could never have anticipated that our third annual report would be released at such a time. However, the need for robust and agreed poverty measures and the Commission’s work is arguably greater than ever.
This report uses the most recent data available to provide a comprehensive account of poverty based on the Commission’s measurement framework. It provides both a detailed overview of the extent and nature of poverty in the UK today and the results can act as the baseline against which the impact of the coronavirus crisis can be judged.
