More than one in five children in low- and middle-income countries — about 400 million globally — are deprived of at least two essential services critical to their health i.e. development and wellbeing, according to UNICEF’s flagship report “The State of the World’s Children 2025: Ending Child Poverty – Our Shared Imperative” released on World Children’s Day.
The report warns that millions of children still lack basics such as education, clean water, safe sanitation, healthcare, nutrition, and adequate housing. These deprivations deepen inequality, slow economic growth, and weaken social stability, leaving lasting impacts that extend across generations. The youngest children, those with disabilities, and children living in crises remain the most vulnerable as climate shocks, political instability, and rising national debts push families into deeper hardship.
As the world’s most populous country, India is home to approximately 460 million children under 18. Speaking at the national release event, UNICEF India Representative Cynthia McCaffrey highlighted the country’s significant progress in poverty reduction and its positive trajectory toward achieving SDG 1.2 ahead of the 2030 deadline.
According to the National Multidimensional Poverty Index (NITI Aayog), India enabled 248 million people — including large numbers of children — to escape multidimensional poverty between 2013–14 and 2022–23. The national MPI fell from 29.2% to 11.3% during this period. Social protection coverage also rose sharply from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, reaching 940 million citizens. This expansion, coupled with sustained social sector investments, has been a key driver of poverty reduction.
“The State of the World’s Children 2025 report reminds us that ending child poverty is achievable with the knowledge and tools we already possess. India’s progress demonstrates that accelerating effective programmes can bring us closer to the last mile and to India’s Vision 2047,” said McCaffrey. “There is no greater return on investment than investing in children. Every child’s access to healthcare, learning, nutrition, social protection, and safety is a step toward equality and opportunity.”
India’s flagship programmes — including Poshan Abhiyaan, Samagra Shiksha, PM-KISAN, the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swachh Bharat, and Jal Jeevan Mission — along with India’s globally recognised digital public infrastructure, have collectively delivered nutrition, education, income support, sanitation, and financial inclusion at unprecedented scale.
Dr. Pinaki Chakraborty, Visiting Distinguished Professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), underscored the need to safeguard fiscal space for child-centred programmes. “Sustained public investments in the social sector are essential for child wellbeing. Strengthening spending in healthcare and education will be crucial in the coming decade,” he said.
Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh, Vice President, Development Studies & Kolkata Head at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), emphasised that India’s development vision must be anchored in equity and sustainability. “Viksit Bharat @2047 cannot be defined by per capita GDP alone. The real engine of transformation is sustained investment in children -the foundation of future human capital. The social and economic returns on investing in children are extremely high,” he said.
Despite India’s progress, the report notes key challenges: approximately 206 million children in the country still lack access to at least one essential service — housing, sanitation, water, nutrition, education, or health. Of these, 62 million face two or more deprivations, limiting their ability to reach their full potential.
The report calls on governments and partners to take five urgent actions:
• Make ending child poverty a national priority by embedding children’s rights in policies and budgets.
• Expand inclusive social protection systems to support vulnerable families.
• Ensure equitable access to quality healthcare, nutrition, education, sanitation, and housing.
• Promote decent work and income security for caregivers.
• Empower children to participate in decisions affecting their futures.
The release concluded with a reminder that the world already possesses the evidence, tools, and experience to reduce child poverty — what is needed now is the collective will to act.
