Poverty in France Reaches Highest Level in 30 Years

The data from the French statistical office, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), showed that poverty and inequality indicators reached unprecedented levels in 2023.

The data indicated that in that year, the number of people living below the poverty line, defined as 60% of the average monthly income or €1288 per person, reached approximately 9.8 million individuals. Additionally, around 650,000 people fell into poverty in 2024, marking the largest increase since the current calculation method was adopted in 1996, as reported by 'Le Monde'.

The poverty rate rose to 15.4%, up from 14.4% in 2022, marking a record level and a historic increase. Income inequality also widened, with the richest 20% earning 4.5 times more than the poorest 20%, a historical gap over the past thirty years. Furthermore, the Gini coefficient, another measure of inequality, approached its maximum limit reached in 2011.

Michel Duée, head of the family resources and living conditions department at the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, stated: 'We must go back to the early 1970s to find slightly greater disparities. Living standards rose, supported by a favorable job market, at a pace faster than inflation, except for those with the lowest incomes'.