For the first time in Australia, research has quantified the economic costs of child poverty. This report reveals that child poverty costs the NSW economy approximately $60 billion annually – 7.6 per cent of the state’s Gross State Product. 

The report highlights how a failure to invest in measures to alleviate poverty negatively impacts individuals throughout their life and undermines the state’s long-term economic performance. It demonstrates the far-reaching consequences of child poverty, including reduced educational attainment, poor health outcomes, and diminished workforce participation, which perpetuate cycles of disadvantage and lead to significant social and government costs.

Key findings

• Three decades of economic growth has not solved poverty.
• Over a half a million people in New South Wales grew up in persistent poverty.
• The total economic costs of child poverty exceed the economic value of the manufacturing sector in New South Wales. 
• Rates of child poverty are highest in south western Sydney.
• Child poverty can be eliminated.