The ratio of poor children to poor adults increased in all of the countries of the region (except El Salvador, where it remained constant), with the greatest increases in Brazil, Panama and Uruguay. Efforts should be made to guarantee the rights of the child and to facilitate children’s access to basic goods and services that households cannot afford to acquire on their own. For each indicator, thresholds were defined for severe and moderate needs. The results indicate that almost half of all children in the region are poor, with at least one of the basic needs being unmet, either moderately or extremely.