Research published by the charity End Child Poverty shows 6141 children in Dumfries and Galloway currently living below the poverty line – an increase of more than 530 since 2014/15.
For the research, households on below 60 per cent median income after paying housing costs were considered to be living in poverty.
Over the five-year period measured, almost every local authority in Scotland noted a rise.
Tied with Dundee City, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire, the region’s 2.8 per cent jump in a half-decade is the most significant increase measured out of all 32 Scottish council areas.
Furthermore, Dumfries and Galloway has the seventh highest child poverty rate, with 26.2 per cent of under 18s impoverished.
