WASHINGTON — The number of people living in poverty has climbed to 14.3 percent of Americans, the highest rate since 1994.

The Census Bureau said in a statement on its website that about 43.6 million people, or 1 in 7, were in poverty last year.

That's up from 39.8 million, or 13.2 percent, in 2008, in the third consecutive annual increase.

The bureau added that there were 8.8 million families living in poverty in 2009.

The number of people lacking health insurance rose from 46.3 million to 50.7 million, due mostly to the loss of employer-provided health insurance during the recession. Congress passed a health overhaul earlier this year to extend coverage to more people.