Although 9 per cent sounds like a small minority, in absolute numbers it amounts to millions of children across the world, and the numbers are rising rapidly due to population growth and urbanization. An exclusive focus on income poverty could lead to inadequate policy focus on the multiple deprivations that are experienced by almost half of urban children in developing countries. One in four rural children under 18 experience extreme monetary poverty (UNICEF and World Bank 2016) and 8 out of 10 rural children under five do not have their basic needs met (Rutstein et al.