200,000 kids living below poverty line

Stark figures in latest report | 55k rise in the living poor

- FERGHAL BLANEY

ALMOST 200,000 children and 150,000 pensioners are living below the poverty line Social Justice Ireland's latest report found.

This represents a worrying rise of 55,000 people across the two categories in just a year, with a total of nearly 700,000, just short of 14% of the total population or one in seven, among the living poor.

The shocking results are contained in the latest annual report from the charity which is based on research conducted in 2022 and compares it to data from 2021.

Dr Sean Healy, CEO, Social Justice Ireland, said: "Ireland's social contract is broken, but it can be repaired through political will and the right policy initiatives.