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A better future is possible.

At the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, we work to speed up and support the transition to a future free from poverty, in which people and planet can flourish.

UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK

This report sets out the nature of poverty in the UK, and evaluates changes under the last Conservative-led Government. It also sets out the scale of action necessary for the current Government to deliver the change it has promised.

Explore the report

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Households living below a Minimum Income Standard: 2008–2024

Since 2013, this report has tracked the number of people in the UK living below the Minimum Income Standard (MIS), a public-defined benchmark for a dignified minimum standard of living. It examines trends for children, working-age adults and pensioners between 2008/09 and 2023/24.

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Power and participation

Cost of living

The lives behind the numbers — unacceptably tough, and getting harder

Insights from JRF's Grassroots Poverty Action Group (GPAG) on the 2026 UK Poverty report — the real stories and struggles behind the headline poverty statistics.

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This isn’t what change feels like

Investment in social security will reduce poverty this April, but progress will stall without a comprehensive set of actions for more than economic growth alone.

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Funding

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation funds and works in partnership with other organisations to unlock the UK from poverty

Our people

Meet our leadership team and our teams of experts. You can also learn more about our trustees.

Careers

Do you want to help build a fairer future, free from poverty? Join us and use your skills to make a real difference.