13.7% of Belgian children suffer from material deprivation related to their child-specific needs
13.7% of Belgian children (aged 0-15) suffer from material deprivation specific to their needs. For example, they don't have good shoes or toys suitable for their age, don’t eat enough healthy food or cannot go on holiday. These are the findings of Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, based on the indicator of material deprivation specific to children in the SILC survey 2024 on income and living conditions.
Furniture, clothing and holidays are the main concerns
A child is considered to be suffering from material deprivation when the household in which he or she lives cannot financially afford at least 3 of the 17 items listed below. Among these, the three most common difficulties are the ability to replace damaged or worn-out furniture (18.4%), to go on a one-week holiday away from home each year (18.2%), and to have new clothes (8.4%).
Details of material deprivation items for children
| Deprivation items | % of deprived children |
|---|---|
At the level of each child individually: |
|
| 1. New clothes | 8.4% |
| 2. Two pairs of shoes | 1.9% |
| 3. Fruit and vegetables at least 1x/day | 2.0% |
| 4. Daily meal with meat/fish/vegetarian equivalent | 3.5% |
| 5. Books suitable for their age (excluding school books) | 2.4% |
| 6. Outdoor leisure equipment (bicycle, roller skates, etc.) | 3.5% |
| 7. Toys and indoor games suitable for their age | 1.9% |
| 8. Leisure activities away from home | 6.9% |
| 9. Celebrations on special occasions (birthdays, etc.) | 3.4% |
| 10. Invite friends over | 5.5% |
| 11. Participate in activities organised by school for a fee | 2.2% |
| 12. Go at least once a year on a one week holiday | 18.2% |
At household level: |
|
| 13. Replace damaged or worn-out furniture | 18.4% |
| 14. Pay the bills as scheduled | 7.9% |
| 15. Keep the home adequately warm | 6.2% |
| 16. Afford a car | 6.8% |
At the level of the adults in the household : |
|
| 17. Afford an internet connection | 0.8% |
Inequalities in material deprivation of children
In total, in 2024, 13.7% of Belgian children aged 0 to 15 suffer from material deprivation for needs specific to their age. However, deprivation varies greatly depending on characteristics of the households in which they live. The situation remains the most precarious among children whose parents (or guardians) have a low education level (48.9%), as well as among those living in a renter household (35.5%) or in the lowest income quintile (37.6%). Children from single-parent families (28.1%) are also more at risk of material deprivation. Regional differences remain marked: material deprivation affects 23.4% of children in Brussels, 18.5% in Wallonia and 9.0% in Flanders.
Focus on general health of children
The SILC survey 2024 also includes questions on children's health, including general health, limited activities due to health problems and access to medical and dental care:
- 3% of children had a general health that was "fair", "poor" or "very poor" (as declared by their parents or guardians),
- 3% of children are limited in their daily activities over a period of at least 6 months due to a health problem,
- 2% of children did not go to the doctor when they needed to,
- 9% of children did not go to the dentist when they needed to.
Beyond the overall health figures, we can also see that access to healthcare and the children’s health reported (by their parents or guardians) show the same disparities as material deprivation. Children whose parents (or guardians) have a low level of education, those living in renter households or from the lowest income quintiles and children living in single-parent families are more likely to experience difficulties in accessing medical and dental care, and to be limited in their activities because of health problems.
All the indicators mentioned in this press release, such as the material deprivation rate specific to children’s needs, the various deprivation items, or the figures relating to children's health, are shown in our detailed tables. These figures include breakdowns by region, degree of urbanisation, gender, tenancy status (owner/tenant), the highest level of education achieved by the parents, parents’ country of birth, household type, age group and income quintile.