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Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four

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The best stats you've ever seen | Hans Rosling

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Global Wealth Inequality  -  What you never knew you never knew (See description for 2017 updates)

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Inequality Briefing seeks to inform the public about the current levels of inequality in UK society.

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Inequality Briefing - Inequality in the UK

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Inequality has been rising for 30 years. The gap between rich and poor is the widest since the second world war. If current trends continue, we will have reached Victorian levels of inequality in 20 years. Sign up to our weekly email briefings to get the full facts. http://inequalitybriefing.org

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Theresa May is considering replacing the "triple lock", which guarantees a minimum increase in the state pension each year, with a less generous "double lock" commitment in the Conservative party's general election manifesto, and spending some of the money saved on social care.

What is the triple lock?

Introduced in 2011 by the coalition government, the triple lock guarantees that the basic state pension will rise by a minimum of either 2.5%, the rate of inflation or average earnings growth, whichever is largest. Before 2011, the state pension rose in line with the retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation, which was consistently lower than annual rises in earnings or 2.5%.

Has the triple lock made a difference to pensioner incomes?

The last few years - in which earnings growth has been extremely weak - have seen triple lock indexation boost the value of the state pension relative to both average earnings and prices. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said in its recent assessment: "Between April 2010 and April 2016 the value of the state pension has been increased by 22.2%, compared to growth in earnings of 7.6% and growth in prices of 12.3% over the same period." That means pensioners have seen their incomes rise at almost double the pace of the average worker.

How much has the triple lock cost the government?

The government actuary's department calculates that this dramatic improvement has pushed the value of the basic state pension up to its highest share of average earnings since April 1988. Compared with an uprating in line with earnings, the increased benefit to pensioners cost an extra £6bn a year in 2015-16. It cost about £4bn relative to indexation to the consumer prices index (CPI) measure of inflation, over the period since April 2011. Most benefits are linked to CPI these days, which is estimated to be about 0.5% lower each year on average than RPI.

Why is the triple lock under attack now?

In the run-up to the 2015 election, the Conservatives pledged to continue the coalition triple lock policy until 2020. But chancellor Philip Hammond and prime minister Theresa May are known to believe the rising cost means the Tory manifesto should revise the pledge to a double lock on the state pension that links increases to rises in earnings or inflation.

How will the exchequer gain should the Tories ditch the guarantee of 2.5% annual rises?

Forecasting rises in earnings and inflation from 2017 to 2060 is a tricky business. The Office for Budget Responsibility has a go in its regular reports on the sustainability of the government's finances. Without the triple lock it says spending is projected to increase by 1.1% of national income between 2020-21 and 2060-61 (from 5% to 6%). This is equivalent to £21bn in today's terms.

How does that compare to keeping the triple lock?

The OBR projections show a rise by 1.8% of national income over the same period (from 5% to 6.8%), which is equivalent to £35bn in today's terms, or some £15bn more than under earnings indexation.

What happens if the government raises the age at which people qualify for the state pension?

At the moment the government plans to make people born after March 1961 wait until they are 67 before they qualify for the state pension age and those born after March 1977 retire at 68. A report by the former CBI boss, John Cridland, commissioned by the government argues that increasing life expectancy means everyone needs to work for longer. Ministers were considering his proposals for raising the state pension age to 69 between 2037 and 2039 (compared with 2048 under current plans) and to 70 by as early as 2057, affecting anyone born after 1987.

Are there other ways to reduce the pensions bill?

Mark Pearson, deputy director of employment, labour and social affairs with the OECD, the Paris-based thinktank, told the Financial Times the UK should means test the basic state pension, which remains a universal benefit. "Giving less [pension] to the people at the top would free up resources to increase general benefits," he said. Another proposal would be to tax pensioners based on income tax thresholds specially designed for people of pensionable age. This would allow all pensioners to benefit from state pension rises, but reduce the rapidly escalating inequality among the over-65s who have among the highest disposable incomes of all working people and yet fall under a system of income tax thresholds designed for working households.

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Pensions triple lock: what you need to know

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Theresa May is considering replacing the "triple lock", which guarantees a minimum increase in the state pension each year, with a less generous "double lock" commitment in the Conservative party's general election manifesto, and spending some of the money saved on social care.

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The changing picture of poverty in the UK - Why we need to act now

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A guide to poverty in the UK, focusing on 5 key areas: Who is in poverty What is poverty Levels of poverty Causes of poverty Consequences of poverty on society

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Working parents in Britain "simply do not earn enough to escape poverty", the government's social mobility tsar Alan Milburn has warned.

Two-thirds of poor children are now from families where an adult works, his report found.

Many low and middle-income children face being "worse off" than their parents because of falling earnings and rising prices, Mr Milburn added.

Wealthier pensioners' benefits should be cut and minimum pay raised, he said.

The former Labour health secretary suggested some benefits currently protected from cuts - such as free TV licences and winter fuel allowances for pensioners - could be means tested in order to share the burden of austerity more fairly.

But a spokesman for David Cameron said: "The prime minister believes it is right to make commitments to pensioners in relationship to state provision."

The government has pledged to safeguard such benefits until the next general election.

'Fairness deficit'

In its first report, the government's Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission warned the target of ending child poverty by 2020 would "in all likelihood be missed by a considerable margin" - leaving as many as two million children in poverty.

Poverty is defined as having a household income that is less than 60% of the national median income.

Analysis

"Britain remains a deeply divided country" - a stinging line from the Social Mobility Commission's first annual report.

"Being born poor often leads to a lifetime of poverty", say the authors, and higher social mobility has become "the new holy grail of public policy".

The report warns social mobility is "flat-lining" after big shifts in the middle of the last century and "could go in to reverse", with the young paying the highest price.

Alan Milburn's recipe for improvement has praise for some government initiatives and strong criticism of others. It calls for higher minimum wages and more universal help so poor working families get help as well as those out of work.

Universities and employers are chided to do more to "open up social elites" and there's a call for older people to be made to dig deeper into their pockets to help future generations.

In an age of austerity, the authors suggest creating a fairer society will be far from pain-free.

The latest government figures on poverty, released in June, show the median UK household income for 2011/2012 was £427 a week - 60% of that figure was £256 a week.

In that year, 17% of children, or 2.3 million, were classed as being in poverty while 15% of working-age adults, or 5.6 million, were in poverty.

For pensioners, meanwhile, that figures was 16% - or 1.9 million.

The report said Britain still had "high levels of child poverty and low levels of social mobility" with a rising number of children in "absolute poverty" coming from working families.

Two thirds of children officially deemed as being poor now came from a family where at least one parent was working - and in three out of four of those cases, at least one of their parents was working full time, the report found.

It also said the "twin problems of high youth unemployment and falling living standards" were storing up problems for the future.

Among its key recommendations the report urged the government to:

End long-term youth unemployment by increasing learning and earning opportunities

Reduce in-work poverty by asking the Low Pay Commission to deliver a higher minimum wage

Reallocate childcare funding from higher rate taxpayers to help those on Universal Credit

"Just as the UK government has focused on reducing the country's financial deficit it now needs to redouble its efforts to reduce our country's fairness deficit," the report said.

'Sharing the burden'

Single mother Judith Healy, who works from home as a telemarketer, said that, while her wages had not gone up, her expenses had continued to increase.

She said she was worried about paying energy bills this winter.

"We didn't ask to get in this situation, we are doing the best that we can in the circumstances that we have and that's really what it's about - it's survival now," she told BBC News.

Mr Milburn told the BBC: "Today child poverty is a problem for working families rather than the workless or the work-shy."

Around five million people in the country, mainly women, were earning less than the living wage, which is about £7.45 an hour outside of London, he said.

"These are the people frankly who do all the right things, they go out to work, they stand on their own two feet, they look after their families - they're the strivers not the shirkers - and yet they're all too often the forgotten people of Britain and I think they desperately need a new deal."

Mr Milburn said that while ministers and employers could do more, it was unrealistic to expect the government to continue topping up low pay using working tax credits.

As the commission states, there is an urgent need to rebalance the distribution of resources so that the burden of austerity is more equally shared
National Children's Bureau

He advocated a scheme for pairing bright children with the best teachers in an effort to raise attainment.

Mr Milburn has previously said social mobility - the idea that individuals can better themselves in terms of educational opportunity, job prospects and salaries from one generation to the next - is "flat-lining".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg welcomed the report, but warned that "punishing pensioners isn't going to help a single child achieve more in life".

Enver Solomon, of the National Children's Bureau charity, said the report was "a wake-up call for all political parties by stating that our country is dramatically polarised between the haves and have- nots".

"As the commission states, there is an urgent need to rebalance the distribution of resources so that the burden of austerity is more equally shared," he said.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves said the "powerful report" showed "ordinary families' living standards [were being] squeezed and social divisions [were] deepening as a result of this government's decisions to put a privileged few first".

On Wednesday, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the number of unemployed people in the UK fell by 18,000 to 2.49 million in the June-August period.

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Working parents in Britain "simply do not earn enough to escape poverty", the government's social mobility tsar Alan Milburn has warned. Two-thirds of poor children are now from families where an adult works, his report found. Many low and middle-income children face being "worse off" than their parents because of falling earnings and rising prices, Mr Milburn added.

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More working households were living in poverty in the UK last year than non-working ones - for the first time, a charity has reported.

Just over half of the 13 million people in poverty - surviving on less than 60% of the national median (middle) income - were from working families, it said.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said low pay and part-time work had prompted an unprecedented fall in living standards.

But it said the number of pensioners in poverty was at a 30-year low.

Ministers insisted that work remained the best route out of poverty and said the government's welfare reforms would further encourage people to get a job.

'Little security'

The JRF's annual Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion report was written by the New Policy Institute and tracks a range of indicators, including government data and surveys covering income, education and social security.

It's not right that millions of people are going out to work, working harder and harder, and can't afford to bring up their families
Rachel Reeves , Shadow work and pensions secretary

The poverty measure it defines is based on net household income, adjusted for family size and after housing costs have been deducted.

In the 2011-12 period, the amount of earnings before a household was said to be in poverty was £128 a week for a single adult; £172 for a single parent with one child; £220 for a couple with no children, and £357 for a couple with two children.

Assessing Department for Work and Pensions figures, the report's authors found working adults without dependent children were the most likely group to be living in poverty, and that child poverty was at its lowest level for 25 years.

It said the number of people in low-paid jobs had risen, with average incomes falling by 8% since their peak in 2008.

Analysis

Get a job has long been the mantra of ministers.

And while work is the best way out poverty, it's no longer a guarantee, it seems.

That the majority of poor people should now be in a job is not wholly surprising - the number of working poor has steadily been rising for years.

In recent years the weak economy has seen an increase in part-time working and often low, stagnating wages, which has exacerbated the problem.

The proportions of poor people have also been affected by the rapidly reducing rates of pensioner poverty.

Private pensions, pension credits and the coalition government's determination to shield pensioners from the cuts that have affected most other groups have all had an effect.

The government will also be heartened by the finding that child poverty is at its lowest level for 25 years.

It also credited private pensions, pension credits and the government's determination to shield retired people from austerity measures for the fact that the number of pensioners living in poverty had fallen to its lowest level in decades.

The JRF report acknowledged that the jobs market this year appeared to be reviving, while the number of jobless young people looked to have peaked.

But it said that while the overall poverty rate in the UK expressed as a proportion of the population was 21% - the second lowest since reliable official statistics began to be collected in the mid-1990s - the figures understated the squeeze there had been on people with low incomes and those affected by benefit changes.

Julia Unwin, Chief Executive of JRF, said: "We have a labour market that lacks pay and protection, with jobs offering precious little security and paltry wages that are insufficient to make ends meet.

"While a recovery may be gathering momentum in the statistics and official forecasts, for those at the bottom, improving pay and prospects remain a mirage."

Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves said low wages were a "major contributor" to the cost-of-living crisis and a key driver behind a rising benefits bill.

"It's not right that millions of people are going out to work, working harder and harder, and can't afford to bring up their families," she said.

"That's why Labour will strengthen the minimum wage, promote the living wage, and deal with the cost-of-living crisis so we can have a recovery that benefits working people."

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: "Despite claims to the contrary, work absolutely remains the best route out poverty - children in workless families are around three times more likely to be in poverty than those in working families.

"Our welfare reforms are designed to further increase work incentives and improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities, with the [new benefit system] Universal Credit making three million households better off."

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More working households were living in poverty in the UK last year than non-working ones - for the first time, a charity has reported. Just over half of the 13 million people in poverty - surviving on less than 60% of the national median (middle) income - were from working families, it said.

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A record five million children could be living in poverty in the UK by 2020, according to a charity.

Save the Children estimates the number of children in poverty could have increased then by 1.4 million.

The charity said families had been hit by a "triple-whammy" of flat wages, cuts to benefits and a rise in the cost of living.

A spokesman said the government is committed to ending child poverty by tackling its root causes.

But a commitment to end child poverty by 2020 is "increasingly window dressing", Save the Children added, with no viable strategy being suggested.

A household is considered in poverty by the charity if its income is less than 60% of the median average after household costs.

Unfair start

In a report - A Fair Start For Every Child - the charity says children have "paid the highest price in the recession".

Unless there is a dramatic change of course we're at risk of writing off the future of millions of British children, giving them an unfair start in life.
Justin Forsyth, Save the Children

It points to an increase in the price of food compared with other goods and a jump in childcare costs.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies already predicts an extra 1.1 million children will find themselves in poverty by 2020, Save the Children highlights.

But based on calculations looking at the impact of cuts to government department budgets, the charity believes that figure will actually be 325,000 higher.

Current figures show 3.5 million lived in poverty in 2011-12.

Justin Forsyth, Save the Children's CEO said: "We're increasingly worried that unless there is a dramatic change of course we're at risk of writing off the future of millions of British children, giving them an unfair start in life.

He added: "Millions of children in the UK are being left behind - sentenced to a lifetime of poverty.

No excuse

"Far too many of our children are living in cold and damp homes, without healthy food, with parents who can see no end to their situation. If we ignore the rising toll of poverty we are blighting the future of a further 1.4 million children.

"In one of the world's richest countries there is simply no excuse."

A government spokesman said: "The government is committed ending child poverty by tackling its root causes as part of our long-term economic plan.

"Our reforms will improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities by promoting work and helping people to lift themselves out of poverty.

"With the economy growing we have just seen the largest rise in employment for over 40 years and unemployment is falling, with 100,000 fewer children living in workless poor families."

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A record five million children could be living in poverty in the UK by 2020, according to a charity. Save the Children estimates the number of children in poverty could have increased then by 1.4 million. The charity said families had been hit by a "triple-whammy" of flat wages, cuts to benefits and a rise in the cost of living.

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One in five families in England will be unable to afford a trip to the seaside this bank holiday, says Barnardo's.

The charity calculates a "no frills seaside trip" could cost a family with two children as much as £170, depending on where they live.

It wants the government to "act urgently" to boost the incomes of the poorest fifth of families.

The government said its welfare reforms would make three million households better off.

Researchers looked at the cost of the cheapest train fare to the seaside for a family or four, booked two weeks in advance, from a range of cities and county towns.

They also included the cost of the cheapest sun cream, ice cream and fish and chips.

How much is a trip to the seaside in 2014? (figures from Barnardo's)

The seaside is traditionally considered cheap, but travel is expensive, particularly when the family budget does not stretch to a car, says Barnardo's.

Families in Aylesbury would pay £172 for a trip to Bournemouth, Londoners would fork out £60.15 to go to Southend, Mancunians £77 for Blackpool, while those in Bristol would spend over £40 to go to Weston Super Mare.

Sun cream would cost £4.90 for the day, ice-cream £1 a head, while fish and chips, including children's portions could be anything from £14 to £22.

Drawing on official statistics the charity says the poorest fifth of families, with weekly incomes of £423 or less, can barely cover basic living costs, let alone a trip to the beach.

It says the poorest have been hit by rising living costs and welfare cuts, including measures to break the link between benefits and inflation.

It wants the government to restore this link and ensure low income families keep more of their earnings when Universal Credit is rolled out in coming months.

For hundreds of thousands of families struggling to make ends meet this weekend, a trip to the pier is but a pipe-dream
Javed Khan, Barnardo's Chief Executive

Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said: "Whatever the weather, a day at the seaside with the family is a day to treasure.

Sandcastles

"It is an opportunity for children to spend a healthy, happy time and experience a British cultural tradition; to play on the beach, splash in the sea and build sandcastles. It is an opportunity every child should enjoy.

"The Prime Minister has put family life at the heart of government and promoted the 'staycation'. Yet for hundreds of thousands of families struggling to make ends meet this weekend, a trip to the pier is but a pipe-dream."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions said changes to tax and benefits would help improve families' financial security with measures to increase the tax-free personal allowance and freeze fuel duty and council tax.

"Ice cream or fish and chips aren't essentials, plenty take picnics. Sand in your sandwiches makes great memories
Parent , Mumsnet

"Our welfare reforms will further improve the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities with Universal Credit making three million households better off and lifting up to 250,000 children out of poverty.

"We continue to ensure there is a safety net in place, spending £94bn a year on working age benefits to support millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed so they can meet their basic needs."

Mothers on the parenting forum Mumsnet had advice on how to cut the cost of seaside trips.

Catherine from Birmingham, whose children are now 12, 15 and 18, suggested looking for coach trips organised by community groups and children's centres and booking well in advance to find cheap train fares.

Others said taking picnics could save a fortune: "Sand in your sandwiches makes great memories".

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One in five families in England will be unable to afford a trip to the seaside this bank holiday, says Barnardo's. The charity calculates a "no frills seaside trip" could cost a family with two children as much as £170, depending on where they live.

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An extra 400,000 children will be in "absolute poverty" within six years due to benefit cuts, a think tank has said.

North-east England and the East Midlands, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland will be hit hardest, the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested.

The study estimated that some 7.5 million low income households will have their benefit entitlements cut by more than £500 a year in real terms.

The government said it was committed to supporting families.

It said it was "helping families keep more of what they earn" by cutting taxes and increasing the National Living Wage.

However, it has also frozen many working-age benefits and capped payments.

Absolute poverty

The report predicted that child poverty levels will increase by 4% nationally between 2015/16 to 2021/22.

Benefit changes - including the roll-out of universal credit - will account for three-quarters of the total 530,000 surge in child poverty levels over the given period, the research added.

The government has defined those in "absolute poverty" people whose income is less than 60% of what the UK's median average was in 2010/11.

For a couple with two children in 2017/18, that would be £345 a week.

That figure includes benefits and is after housing costs have been deducted.

The report - funded by independent charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation - predicted absolute poverty (adult and child) across the UK will remain roughly unchanged between 2015/16 to 2021/22.

But the IFS said without the planned benefit changes, absolute poverty rates would have declined.

"If the government sticks to planned benefit cuts, it should not be surprised if, according to the official measure, absolute child poverty rises," said Tom Waters, of the IFS.

"The larger projected rises occur in areas where families with children are more reliant on benefits than earnings for their income, and where more families are likely to be adversely affected by the new two child limit on means-tested benefits."

'Unravelling'

The study found some low-income families will see receive £2,500 less in benefits due to the two-child limit.

A government spokesman pointed out that there are 200,000 fewer children living in poverty than in 2010 and that the north-east of England has "near-record levels of employment". Unemployment rate in Wales "is the lowest on record", the spokesman added.

But Campbell Robb, chief executive at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the figures show the UK's record of reducing child poverty "is at risk of unravelling".

The foundation has called on the government to lift the freeze on benefits.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Stephen Lloyd said the figures "hammer home" the dangers of "cruel and senseless Conservative policies".

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Benefit cuts will 'push up child poverty'

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An extra 400,000 children will be in "absolute poverty" within six years due to benefit cuts, a think tank has said. North-east England and the East Midlands, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland will be hit hardest, the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested.

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More people are suffering from malnutrition as a result of worsening food poverty, experts have warned.

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48A2 Types and measures of poverty and inequality

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What is poverty?
how is is measured?
Different Levels of Poverty?
Causes of Poverty?
Consequences of Poverty?
Policies to alleviate poverty
Using articles are the policies working?
Does the Government have a duty of care?

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The causes of poverty are things that reduce your resources or increase your needs and the costs of meeting them. Some of these causes can also be consequences, creating a cycle that traps you. Life events and moments of transition - getting sick, bereavement, redundancy or relationship breakdown - are common triggers for poverty.

Some of the causes of poverty in the UK today are:

unemployment and low-paid jobs lacking prospects and security (or a lack of jobs): too many jobs do not provide decent pay, prospects or security. Many places have concentrations of these jobs or do not have enough jobs. Low pay and unemployment can also lead to inadequate savings or pensions

low levels of skills or education: young people and adults without the necessary skills and qualifications can find it difficult to get a job, especially one with security, prospects and decent pay

an ineffective benefit system: the level of welfare benefits for some people - either in work, seeking work or unable to work because of health or care issues - is not enough to avoid poverty, when combined with other resources and high costs. The benefit system is often confusing and hard to engage with, causing errors and delays. The system can also make it risky and difficult for some to move into jobs or increase their working hours. Low take-up of some benefits also increases poverty

high costs: the high cost of housing and essential goods and services (e.g. credit, gas, electricity, water, Council Tax, telephone or broadband) creates poverty. Some groups face particularly high costs related to where they live, increased needs (for example, personal care for disabled people) or because they are paying a 'poverty premium' - where people in poverty pay more for the same goods and services

discrimination: discrimination against people because of their class, gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexuality, religion or parental status (or even poverty itself) can prevent people from escaping poverty through good qualifications or jobs, and can restrict access to services

weak relationships: a child who does not receive warm and supportive parenting can be at higher risk of poverty in later life, because of the impact on their development, education and social and emotional skills. Family relationships breaking down can also lead to poverty

abuse, trauma or chaotic lives: for small numbers of people, problematic or chaotic use of drugs and alcohol can deepen and prolong poverty. Neglect or abuse as a child or trauma in adult life can also cause poverty, as the impact on mental health can lead to unemployment, low earnings and links to homelessness and substance misuse. Being in prison and having a criminal record can also deepen poverty, by making it harder to get a job and weakening relationships.

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Poverty is when your resources are well below your minimum needs.