U.S. Childhood Poverty Cited as Highest of Rich Nations’
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WASHINGTON — The incidence of childhood poverty is higher in the United States than in any other industrialized country, and U.S. government programs do less to combat it, a private anti-hunger advocacy group said Wednesday.
The report, prepared by Bread for the World, said 21.5% of Americans younger than 18 live in poverty. The next-highest rate in an industrial country was 14.1%, in Australia. Finland had the lowest rate at 2.5%.
The report, compiled from previously published surveys, also said the United States had the second-highest gap between the incomes of its richest and poorest citizens. Only Russia had a larger disparity.
Most of the 129-page reportconcentrated on problems of hunger worldwide.
It found that the highest levels of undernourishment were in developing countries of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It also said more than one out of four American children is habitually hungry or in danger of hunger.
The report based its conclusion that U.S. childhood poverty was the highest in the industrialized world on a European income study for 1990 and 1991 that defined poverty as an income at least 50% below the national average.
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