The negative impact on children was particularly potent in the Mediterranean region, it said.
Sweeping budget cuts in social safety nets had a serious knock-on effect, UNICEF said.
– Social safety nets crucial –
“UNICEF research shows that the strength of social protection policies was a decisive factor in poverty prevention,” said O’Malley.
“All countries need strong social safety nets to protect children in bad times and in good –- and wealthy countries should lead by example, explicitly committing to eradicate child poverty, developing policies to offset economic downturns, and making child well-being a top priority,” he added.
In the United States, where extreme child poverty has risen more in this slump than during the recession of 1982, social safety nets provided key support to poor working families but were less effective for the jobless ultra poor, UNICEF said.
Child poverty has increased in 34 out of 50 US states since the start of the crisis.
In 2012, 24.2 million children were living in poverty, a net increase of 1.7 million from 2008, the study showed.
There was some good news, however.
In 18 countries, child poverty actually fell, sometimes markedly.
Australia, Chile, Finland, Norway, Poland and Slovakia, for example, reduced levels by around 30 percent.
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