Five years of the European Child Guarantee

Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the European Child Guarantee on 14 June, Eurochild reflects on the newly published 2025 child poverty statistics and warns that Europe is not yet delivering on its promise to all children.

The latest figures on child poverty in Europe paint a stark picture. Whilst the statistics may be new, the reality they reveal is all too familiar: nearly one in four children in the European Union (24.3 %) still grows up at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In 2025, that meant 19.2 million children whose rights, well-being and future opportunities remain at risk, according to figures in the newly published mid-term review of the European Child Guarantee.

The mid-term review marks five years since the adoption of the European Child Guarantee, the landmark 2021 Council Recommendation, which recommends that every Member State ensure that children in need have free and effective access to early childhood education and care, education, school meals, healthcare, healthy nutrition, and adequate housing. The review highlights the progress made. Across Europe, the Child Guarantee has driven important reforms, expanded access to essential services, and strengthened children's participation in the consultation phase.

These examples demonstrate that progress is possible when political commitment is matched with investment.

Yet, five years on, Europe remains far from achieving its ambitions.

The number of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion has barely changed since 2019. More concerningly, while the overall poverty rate in the EU fell to 20.9% in 2025, the rate among children increased. Since 2019, around 3.5 million people have been lifted out of poverty or social exclusion across the European Union, but children have not benefited equally from that progress.

Poverty in Europe is increasingly becoming a childhood issue. In six Member States (Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Sweden), there are more children at risk of poverty or social exclusion today than they were in 2019.

This trend is neither inevitable nor acceptable.

Income support remains inadequate in many countries. While social transfers reduce child monetary poverty by an average of 42%, performance varies dramatically across the European Union, ranging from over 60% in Finland to just 18% in Romania. In several Member States, take-up of social or child benefits remains worryingly low, e.g. Spain. Even where support exists, many families face barriers such as complex procedures, stigma or a lack of information, preventing them from accessing the help to which they are entitled.

At the same time, inequalities are reinforced through unequal access to essential services:

• Only 23.6% of children under three who are at risk of poverty attend early childhood education and care, compared to 43.9% of children not at risk of poverty. In most Member States, this gap continues to widen.
• By age 15, nearly one in three children (28.8%) from disadvantaged backgrounds underachieve in reading, maths and science, compared with fewer than one in twenty (4.7%) among their more advantaged peers.
• Children at risk of poverty are fourteen times more likely to go without a daily meal containing meat, fish or an equivalent source of protein, while 42.6% live in overcrowded housing.

Only three countries, Ireland, Cyprus and Sweden, have achieved their national child poverty reduction targets, and those targets were relatively modest to begin with. Even if every Member State were to meet its national target in full, the EU would still fall short of its commitment to lift 5 million children out of poverty by 2030, as national targets collectively amount to only 2.9 million children.

The ambition gap is clear.

Yet, the review also demonstrates what could be achieved. With accelerated reforms and stronger implementation, up to 14 million children could be lifted out of poverty. The social and economic case for action is overwhelming: every euro invested in children’s education can return up to seven euros over time.[1]

Few investments offer Europe greater benefits.

In a world marked by economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability and competing priorities, children cannot be pushed further down the political agenda. Child poverty is not simply a social challenge; it is a question of rights, equality and the kind of society Europe wants to build.

Growing up in poverty affects children’s health, education, well-being and future life chances. The consequences can last a lifetime. Eradicating child poverty therefore means more than improving living conditions today; it means safeguarding children’s rights and strengthening Europe’s future.

Eurochild welcomes the newly published Communication on strengthening the European Child Guarantee and believes it can help drive the urgent action needed to reverse current trends. However, ambition must now be matched with sustained political commitment, stronger implementation and adequate dedicated funding beyond 2027.

The Eurochild network remains fully committed to supporting the uptake and effective implementation of the European Child Guarantee across Europe.

Five years after its adoption, the message is clear: Europe has made a promise to its children. It must now deliver on that promise.

Investing in children’s rights is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smartest investment Europe can make.

[1] Lundborg, P., Rooth, D. O., & Alex-Petersen, J. (2022). Long-term effects of childhood nutrition: evidence from a school lunch reform. The Review of Economic Studies, 89(2), 876-908.