NVC > Publikationer > Children and youth at risk of poverty – Nordic approaches to social mobility and remaining challenges
Children and youth at risk of poverty – Nordic approaches to social mobility and remaining challenges
Barn & unga
18 feb 2026
The Nordic region is frequently highlighted as an international role model for high living conditions, comprehensive universal welfare systems, and strong ideals of equality. This reputation can lead to the assumption that the risks associated with child poverty primarily concern other countries and welfare societies. However, recent developments have shown that a significant proportion of children in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden grow up in families with persistently low income, and that this risk is unevenly distributed.
The following themes are covered in the report:
Low income and childhood in the Nordic welfare states
Child poverty trends in the Nordic countries: A two-decade review
Measures and instruments to promote social mobility and enhance protective factors
Growing up with low income: Children’s experiences and strategies
The main message of the report is that growing up in a family with persistent low income is a social challenge that must be closely monitored. The report also emphasises the close relationship with structural factors as the labour market, housing costs, and income security. These conditions impact children’s opportunities, security, and participation during their upbringing. Policies that combine economic protection, robust universal services, relationship-oriented practices, and the systematic involvement of children and young people are required to address the stress related to living conditions and the vulnerability that characterises the everyday lives of children and their families. Only in this way the Nordic countries can ensure that their ambitions for equality are reflected in children’s everyday lives.
About the report
This report has been commissioned by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council to provide a shared knowledge base on the development, scale, and impact of growing up in a persistently low-income family within the Nordic region. The aim is to strengthen understanding of the risks and living conditions faced by children and young people in low-income families, thereby providing a more robust foundation for Nordic cooperation and policymaking.
Children and youth at risk of poverty – Nordic approaches to social mobility and remaining challenges
