A quarter of British children are being raised by a single parent, new figures reveal



Of the 1.8million single parent households in Britain, 650,000 of them are not in any sort of work

Average single parent household in UK claims twice as much in benefit support as the average two-parent household

Only Latvia, Estonia and Ireland have more lone parent households



A report has found that of the 1.8m single parent households in Britain, 650,000 of them are not in any sort of work. Posed by models

Britain has more single parents than almost any country in Europe, and almost one in three of them are unemployed.



A report has found that of the 1.8million single parent households in Britain, 650,000 of them are not in any sort of work.



This has led to a situation where the average single parent household in the UK claims twice as much in benefit support as the average two-parent household.



The proportion of lone parent households in the UK is the fourth highest in the EU - behind only Estonia, Latvia and Ireland - with 24 per cent of of children being brought up by just one adult.



The think tank Policy Exchange, which compiled the study, said the figures showed that if George Osborne wants to slash the welfare bill, he needs to target support at helping young, single parents find work.



Author Matthew Tinsley said: ‘Raising a child is a huge responsibility regardless of your living arrangements. All parents - especially young single mothers - need support.



‘It is right that the government extended free childcare. However, it is also right to ask more from people to find a job. Simply relying on benefits when you are physically and mentally able to work is not fair.



‘Policymakers must do more to help the two thirds of a million unemployed single parents find a job. Such action would significantly boost the UK economy and help find further savings in the welfare budget.’

The report found that the level of unemployment among single partners can partly be attributed to when they had children.



More than half (52 per cent) of lone mothers who had their first child as a teenager are not in work or looking for work, compared to 40 per cent who had their first aged 20 to 23.

More than half (52 per cent) of lone mothers who had their first child as a teenager are not in work or looking for work, compared to 40 per cent who had their first aged 20 to 23. Posed by models

Among those who have their first child in their early thirties, the unemployment rate is 19 per cent.



However, there has been an increase in the number of single parents in work compared to the 1990s, partly due to employment support and stronger job search requirements introduced by the previous government, and the increase in part-time work.



The most common age single parents had their first child is 20 compared to couples who are together who most often had their first child at 30.

