Study finds France below EU average in poverty

(MENAFN) France has a smaller share of people living in poverty compared with the European Union average, but it shows a higher concentration of households with modest incomes, according to a study released Wednesday.

Drawing on data from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions, the report revealed that in 2021, 14.3% of the French population lived below the poverty line, while the EU-27 average stood at 16.9%.

"With 14.3% of people living in poverty, France is in an intermediate position and below the European average," the study noted.

However, the analysis also highlighted that France exceeded the bloc’s average when it came to modest-income households—defined as those earning between 60% and 75% of the median income. This group represented a larger portion of the French population compared to the EU benchmark of 11.7%.

The study pointed out stark disparities among EU countries. Poverty levels ranged from 8.6% in Czechia—the lowest rate recorded—to 23.4% in Latvia, the highest. Southern and parts of Eastern Europe showed the most severe challenges, with more than 20% of the population living in poverty in countries such as Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Estonia. In contrast, several Central European states, including Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Czechia, reported significantly lower figures.

In Northwestern Europe, poverty rates varied from 10.8% in Finland to 18% in Luxembourg, placing France somewhere in the middle.

The findings also underscored that certain demographics across the EU face heightened vulnerability. Single parents, large families, job seekers, young people, and migrants from outside the EU were identified as most at risk. The study showed that 31% of single-parent families and 26% of large households lived in poverty, compared with just 10–12% of couples. Among the elderly, nearly 28% of single seniors were poor, versus 11% of couples without children.

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