“Poverty is not exploding. But it is gaining ground,” summarizes the Observatory of Inequalities in its report on poverty in France unveiled this Tuesday. Between 2002 and 2022, there will be an additional 1.4 million poor people. In 2022, 5.1 million people lived below the poverty line in France, according to INSEE. This represents 8.1% of the population. These statistics only take into account people living in ordinary housing in mainland France. INSEE estimates that more than two million additional people, including homeless people and overseas residents, are not counted in these figures. Discover the main lessons from this report on poverty in France, published by the Observatory of Inequalities.
Young people, single-parent families and the unemployed among the most affected
Several groups are particularly exposed to poverty in France according to the Observatory of Inequalities:
- Children and young adults (18-29 years old) are more affected than other age groups. In 2022, 11.4% of those under 18 and 10% of 18-29 year olds lived below the poverty line, more than double the poverty rate of people over 65. Young adults encounter integration difficulties, particularly those with lower qualifications, while children suffer from their parents' poverty.
- Single-parent familiesmainly made up of single women with children, are twice as affected by poverty as the national average, with a rate of 19.2% in 2022.
- A quarter of the unemployed live below the poverty line. Non-retired inactive people are also very exposed, with a poverty rate of 22.1%.
- The working poor are also identified by the Observatory of Inequalities which underlines that “working does not always guarantee a sufficient standard of living”. In 2022, 1.1 million workers had a standard of living below the poverty line, or around 4% of people in employment (the level of education is strongly correlated with poverty).
- Immigrants are over-represented among the poor, with a poverty rate of 18.8%, three times higher than that of people born in France. Maghreb immigrants are even more affected, with a poverty rate of 23.6%. According to the Observatory of Inequalities, they often combine difficulties linked to a lack of qualifications, discrimination in hiring and the ban on doing certain jobs.
- A disabled person in five are poor, compared to 13% of able-bodied people. Disabled people of working age are particularly affected, with a poverty rate of 25.8%, compared to 14.4% for able-bodied people of the same age.
- The tenants are more exposed to poverty than owners. More than 20% of HLM or furnished tenants, as well as 13% of tenants in unfurnished private housing, are poor.
Difficulty saving, such as paying heating bills or going on vacation
To be poor, for the Observatory of Inequalities, is to live with less than half the standard of living of the French people in the middle, those who are between the poorest 50% and the richest 50%. For a single person, the poverty line is 1,000 euros per monthsocial benefits included. For a couple without children, this represents 1,500 euros. And for a family with two children over 14, 2,500 euros. The Observatory evokes “a daily life made of renunciations and worries”. For example, poverty in France results in difficulty saving, “it means having no safety cushion to cushion the incidents of life”. Among the lowest 20%, 62% say they could not cope with an unexpected expense of 1,000 euros and 56% say they cannot change a piece of furniture that is out of order.
Around a quarter go without meals and heating (Insee, 2022 data). Their entire social life suffers: 53% of them say they cannot go on vacation. 15% cannot even afford a drink or a meal with family or friends for example. Positive point reported by the Observatory of Inequalities: according to INSEE figures, the share of families who believe they do not have enough money for their children to go on vacation has decreased significantly, by 17.4% in 2009 to 10.6% in 2021. In part, this drop can be explained by the decrease in the number of unemployed since 2015, adds the Observatory.
Among so-called “constrained” expenses such as housing costsinsurance and financial services, telecommunications and television expenses, as well as school canteen costs, it is especially housing which weighs down the purchasing power of households. These expenses almost never stopped rising until the beginning of the 2010s, from 9% to 23% of the household budget, due to the increase in rents, but also the increase in electricity prices, gas and all other housing-related charges. In terms of energy poverty, 28% of people who have a standard of living below 1,000 euros per month say they suffer from the cold in winter in their homes, compared to 7% of those who have more than 2,500 euros, or four times less, according to a study by Ademe. In summer, 37% of poor households report enduring excessive heat, twice as much as the wealthiest. The standard of living is a determining factor in thermal comfort within the home. Remember that four million people – or 6% of the population – are considered poorly housed in France, according to the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
In large cities and overseas departments
While a movement against the high cost of living has affected Martinique for several weeks this fall, the Observatory of Inequalities noted that 36.1% of Reunion Islanders are poor, a proportion three times higher than in mainland France. Mayotte (77%) and Guyana (53%) are in even more dramatic situations (2017 data), adds the Observatory. In mainland France, other territories concentrate social difficulties. The Observatory cites Aubervillierswith 42% of inhabitants below the poverty line, the 3rd arrondissement of Marseille (52%) and Seine-Saint-Denis as a whole (28%). Perpignan includes the three priority neighborhoods of city policy with the highest poverty rates in France (between 73% and 75%). HAS Paristhe 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissements bring together more than 100,000 poor people. The capital has more than 300,000 in total. Finally, 45% of residents in priority neighborhoods live below the poverty line, a rate 2.5 times higher than that of the cities in which they reside.
