In 2014 11.4% of children 0-17 years lived in households that had great difficulties in making ends meet, 10% in households at risk of poverty, and 7.7% in materially deprived households. The proportion living in households finding it very difficult to make ends meet fell by 2.9% from the previous year, the proportion at risk of poverty fell by 2.2%, and the proportion of materially deprived by 0.6%.
In 2013 Iceland had the fifth lowest proportion of children living in households that were at risk of poverty and the sixth lowest experiencing material deprivation. The proportion of households with children having great difficulty making ends meet was, however, similar to that of the Euro area average.
It is quite rare for 1-15 year old children in Iceland to be deprived of child specific goods, as measured in the 2009 and 2014 ad-hoc modules of the EU-SILC, with the exception of organized leisure activities. In 2014 just under one third of children did not partake in organized leisure, an increase from 14.3% in 2009.
In 2014 37% of 1-15 year old children in the lowest income quintile did not participate in organized leisure activities, compared to 18.5% in the top quintile. This was also the case for 45.1% of children whose parents had only completed primary education, compared to 27.5% of children who had at least one parent with university education. As regards household types, the highest proportion was found for children living in 2 adult with 1 child households, 45.2%, and the lowest proportion in households made up of two adults and two children, 25.4% The proportion for children living with single parents was 32.9%.
Social indicators: The quality of children's lives - Statistical Series