Nearly one in three single-parent households in Australia live in poverty, Hilda report shows

The latest Hilda survey shows 34.7% of children in single parent households are living in poverty. Photograph: Kaan Sezer/Getty Images/iStockphoto

A major national survey has revealed a “silent crisis” among Australian families, with nearly one-in-three single-parent households living in poverty.

The newly released statistical report on the long-running Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey found that, after adjusting for housing costs, 31.3% of single-parent families were living below the poverty line in 2023.