Poverty in France is increasing. This is the finding of the fourth edition of the report on poverty, published on December 3 by the Observatory of Inequalities, an independent organization which is a reference in the matter. Poverty affects 5.1 million people, or 8.1% of the population, compared to 6.6% in 2002 (+1.5 points). In the long term, the phenomenon declined in the 1970s and 1980s, then stabilized until the early 2000s, and then continued to grow.
The Observatory of Inequalities sets the poverty threshold at 1,000 euros per month for a single person, 1,500 euros for a couple without children and 2,500 euros for a family with two children over 14 years old. And the study identifies a plurality of categories and profiles at risk of poverty. Including age: children and young people aged 18 to 29 are significantly more affected than other age groups, with 11.4% and 10% poor respectively. Conversely, older people are much less concerned (less than 5%). Another observation from the study is that single people are twice as affected as couples: 12.8% of single people under 65 are poor, compared to 5.6% of couples. And single-parent families are particularly at risk (19.2%).
Yet another phenomenon is that of the working poor: 1.1 million workers have a standard of living below the poverty line. This proportion has remained fairly stable for 20 years. Employment constitutes a limited shield against poverty, especially for the self-employed: 12.5% of them are poor, compared to 2.9% of employees. The figure reaches almost a quarter (24.5%) for the unemployed and 22.1% for the non-retired inactive. Certain other categories of the population are over-represented among poor people, particularly immigrants. Their poverty rate reaches 18.8% and up to 23.6% for North Africans. This is three times more than the average for people born in France. Other population categories particularly affected: people with disabilities, 20% of whom experience poverty, compared to 13% for those who are not. Geographic location also matters, with higher poverty rates in overseas territories and priority neighborhoods.
Extreme poverty or daily renunciations
The Observatory’s study also provides an overview of the very diverse way in which poverty materializes for those who experience it. Some are in “extreme poverty”.
According to the Abbé Pierre Foundation report from January 2024, for example, 330,000 people do not have a home and live on the streets, in social hotels or in accommodation centers. The Observatory notes the difficulty of describing the daily lives of these people who often go under the radar. Only one certainty, on a financial level, “the poorest of the poorest do not have end-of-month problems: they have nothing from the first day”, summarizes the study. Secours catholique, which supports a million people, provides an insight into their way of life. They are forced to resort to the support of friends, their family, charitable associations or municipal social action centers which can provide clothing, food, accommodation and care… The few euros they may have will be used in particular to pay for mobile phone expenses, which have become essential. In summary, “their life consists of ensuring the minimum to survive and hoping for better days”.
A much larger category of the French population is not reduced to these extremities but suffers a “daily life of renunciation and worry”, according to the study. According to INSEE, for example, in 2023, 13.1% of households (9 million people) were in a situation of “material and social deprivation”. For example, they are not able to keep their homes at the right temperature due to lack of financial means. Along the same lines, the study notes that, among the 20% of the lowest-income households in France, 62% declare that they could not cope with an unexpected expense of 1,000 euros and 56% that they cannot. not change furniture that is out of order. Social life and leisure activities are shrinking: 53% of them say they cannot go on vacation, 15% cannot treat themselves to a drink or a meal with family or friends.
