More than 130,000 people, including 22,000 children, are living in poverty in South Australia, the state's lead welfare agency says.
The South Australian Council of Social Service said households in regional areas are twice as likely to be surviving below the poverty line as those in metropolitan Adelaide.
Chief executive Ross Womersley said while there's no easy answer, both state and federal governments must do more to help those in need.
"SACOSS believes we can do much better in addressing the issue of poverty in our community," he said on Monday.
"We know that there is no simple solution but urge both state and federal governments to make addressing poverty a matter of national importance."
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SACOSS also found that poverty affected more than 60,000 households in SA with 41 per cent of the people affected being single with no children.
It said 7.1 per cent of all households in metropolitan Adelaide were living below the poverty line compared to 14.8 per cent across the rest of the state.
Its new data was prepared as part of a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry into poverty in SA.
Mr Womersley said the best and most direct way to reduce poverty would be for the federal government to raise the Newstart and other base welfare payments by at least $75-a-week.
"The reality is that the Newstart payment at its current rate is simply inadequate and does not meet the needs of South Australians receiving it," he said.
"The impact of an inadequate Newstart payment in regional, rural and remote South Australia is even more profound as the likelihood of poverty doubles in these communities.
"Regional South Australia has always been a key driver of our state's economic growth over many years and if we want to eradicate poverty then it must be a vital part of the solution."
