An increasing number of children are growing up in poverty in the Netherlands, according to a government advisory body. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) says around 311,000 children were officially living under the poverty line in 2009.

In total, 9.1 percent of children lived in a household where the income was not enough to offer an “adequate” standard of living, compared to 8.1 percent in the previous year. The research institute says the poverty level is still less than the 2000 figures.

One parent families and single people under 65 are more likely to fall under the poverty line, the SCP warns. Households dependent on welfare benefits are particularly vulnerable – no less 65 percent of this group were officially categorised as poor in 2009.

The total number of people living under the poverty line increased to 971,000 spread over 453,000 households last year. This constitutes 6.2 percent of the population last year, an increase of 0.7 percent on 2008.

The figures show that almost 40 percent of poor households don’t have the means to buy clothes and around 11 percent cannot afford a hot meal with meat, fish or chicken on a daily basis.

In 2000, one in ten children grew up in a poor household, causing concern to government and local authorities which intensified their efforts to tackle the problem.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide