state of the nation report 2025 from centre for young lives

The State of the Nation 2025 report from the Centre for Young Lives has now been published. It provides a detailed and sobering overview of the challenges facing children and young people in England today, with millions growing up in poverty, homelessness, poor health, or struggling with mental health difficulties.

Key findings include:

• 4.5 million children living in relative poverty – nearly a third of all children

• 165,000 children in temporary accommodation, a 33% increase since 2018

• 1 in 5 children now experiencing a mental health condition

• Persistent school absence, suspensions, and exclusions have risen sharply since 2018

• The number of children with special educational needs has grown to over 1.7 million

The report makes clear that these vulnerabilities rarely exist in isolation. Many children face multiple, overlapping challenges that compound each other, often leaving them unseen and unsupported. It calls for earlier identification, stronger systems of support, and a focus on enabling every child to thrive.

Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said:

“Government has set out an ambitious agenda to break the link between background and opportunity, but this report lays bare the scale of the challenges so many children are facing. It shines a spotlight on the millions of children growing up with vulnerabilities in England – and how the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis continue to cast a long shadow over the life chances of many of our children and young people.

“Identifying these children is vital to understanding not only the nature of reforms needed but also the scale of intervention needed to transform life chances. It is crucial to shaping and reforming the services they need to keep them safe and allow them to flourish requires us to know the scale of the problem and where resources would be best targeted..." 

To read the full report, visit the Centre for Young Lives' website.