Child poverty will rise if US withdraws Covid-era benefits, experts warn

Rate decreased from 14.2% in 2018 to less than 5.6% in 2021 thanks to child tax credit and funding for food, among other expansions

The child poverty rate in the US has improved dramatically because of expansions of the social safety net during the Covid-19 pandemic, but experts are warning that allowing such measures to expire may reverse these historic gains.

While the pandemic put pressure on the wellbeing of millions of children, new measures greatly improved child welfare. The child poverty rate decreased from 14.2% in 2018 to less than 5.6% in 2021, and the rate of severe poverty was cut nearly in half, according to projections.