In 2023, 22.8 percent of the Italian population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, down from 24.4 percent in 2022, while 4.7 percent were in severe material and social deprivation, an increase from 4.5 percent in 2022, the Italian National Statistics Institute said.
Wealthy households earn 5.3 times more than poor households
According to the Ansa Italian news agency and the 24-hour sun, the latest "Family Living Conditions and Income Survey" released by the Italian National Bureau of Statistics shows that the decline in the incidence of poverty risk in Italy is related to the implementation of a series of family support measures, such as a single universal allowance for children, a one-time bonus to cope with rising energy costs, and tax policy adjustments.
According to the survey, in 2022, the average household income in Italy was 35,995 euros, an increase of 6.5% in nominal terms, but a decrease of 2.1% in real terms, due to a sharp rise in inflation that year. In addition, the total income of the richest households is 5.3 times that of the poorest households (5.6 times in 2021).
In 2022, the Citizen Income Policy remains one of the most important structural poverty alleviation policies, benefiting 970,000 households in 2019, representing 3.8% of the total number of Italian households. During 2020 and 2021, the proportion of beneficiary households increased to 5.3 per cent and 5.9 per cent, respectively. In 2022, it reached 6.3%, or 1.65 million households, with an average annual household income of 5,232 euros. In addition, among the poorest one-fifth of households, the proportion of households receiving policy assistance rose to 18.2 per cent.
There has been an increase in the number of people living in severe poverty
Data shows that in 2023, there will be about 11.212 million poor people living in Italy. Their net income is less than 60% of the median income (11,891 euros). 4.7 per cent, or about 2.7 million people, are severely deprived of material and social conditions. Compared to 2022, there has been an increase in severe poverty, especially in the central, southern and island regions. The decline in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion is particularly pronounced in the north, with the lowest incidence of poverty in the north-east (11 per cent) and the centre stable (19.6 per cent). The southern region is 39%, down from 40.6% in 2022, but still the highest percentage. In the relevant population distribution in the southern region, the proportion of the population at risk of poverty is 32.9%, the proportion of the population living in low-work-intensive households is decreasing (16.5% compared to 17.1% in 2022), and the proportion of people living in severe poverty is increasing (+5.5%).
The survey noted that in 2023, the risk of poverty and the risk of social exclusion decreased for all types of households, especially families of four, couples with two children and couples with one child, all of whom benefited from the new child allowance policy. However, for large families, there has been an increase in the proportion of households with low work intensity, especially those with five or more members and couples with three or more children, which may be due to the fact that it is more difficult to balance work and childcare. Finally, in households with only Italians, there was a decrease in the risk of poverty or social exclusion, while in households with at least one foreigner, there was a slight increase in the risk of poverty or social exclusion.
(The content is from the European Times, compilation: Li Shuo, picture source: Pixabay, please indicate)