Overall, 14% of all households were living in poverty. Single-parent families had the largest share, making up 26%, followed by single individuals without children at 24%. Couples with children represented 15%, significantly lower than single-parent families.
For families without children, couples were less affected by poverty, with only 9% living in poverty. This figure was much lower than the 24% of single individuals without children, highlighting a clear contrast between these two groups.
Among elderly individuals, 7% of single elderly people lived in poverty, while elderly couples had the lowest poverty rate at just 5%. This suggests that elderly couples were the least likely to experience poverty compared to other groups.
In conclusion, single-parent families and single individuals, both with and without children, faced the highest poverty rates, while couples, particularly elderly couples, had the lowest levels of poverty in the UK in 2002.
