A quarter of children 'at risk of poverty'

A quarter of children in Malta are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, according to an EU report. The rate is 2% below the EU average. The report says that 31.7% of children are at risk of monetary poverty, with the most at risk being those with a single parent with low education level. In its report, Eurostat said that children are at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion than the rest of the population. In 2011, 27% of children aged less than 18 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU27, compared with 24% of adults (aged 18-64) and 21% of the elderly (aged 65 and over). Persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion are those who are at least in one of the following three conditions: at-risk-of-poverty, severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity. In a majority of Member States, children are more affected by at least one of the three forms of poverty or social exclusion than the other two age groups. In 2011, the highest shares of those aged less than 18 who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion were registered in Bulgaria (52%), Romania (49%), Latvia (44%), Hungary (40%) and Ireland (38% in 2010), and the...