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Press release

Income and living conditions

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In 2013, 28.4% of the Italian resident population is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, in accordance with to the definition adopted for the Europe 2020 Strategy. The indicator is the combination of the poverty risk (calculated on 2012 income), severe material deprivation and very low work intensity indicators. It corresponds to the share of population experimenting at least one of the above conditions.

In comparison with 2012, the indicator decreases by 1.5 percentage points, as a consequence of the decrease of the share of population in severely materially deprived households (from 14.5% to 12.4%); the share of people at risk of poverty remain stable (19.1%), while that of people living in very low work intensity households increases slightly (from 10.3% to 11.0%).

The decrease of material deprivation, compared with 2012, is due to the reduction of the share of population in households which cannot afford to eat meat, fish or a protein equivalent every second day (from 16.8% to 14.2%), to pay unexpected expenses of 800 euros (from 42.5% to 40.3%) or to keep their home adequately warm (from 21.2% to 19.1%).

The at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion indicator shows the highest decrease in the Centre and in the North areas (-7.7% and -5.9% respectively), while in the South, where the decrease is 3.7%, the values are equal to 46.2% (more than twice those observed in the rest of the Country).

Beside South and Islands, high values for the indicator are observed among large households (39.8%), with only one income earner (46.1%), when pensions or other transfer are the main source of income (34.9%) and among those with income coming from work activity (56.5%); it is also high for households whose main income arises from self-employment (30.3%) compared with those with main income from dependent work (22.3%).

Compared with 2012, the risk of poverty or social exclusion indicator decreases among elderly living alone (from 38.0% to 32.2%), single parent households (from 41.7% to 38.3%), couples with children (from 24.3% to 21.7%), households with one minor (from 29.1% to 26.8%) or with elderly people (from 32.3% to 28.9%). However, an increase is observed among households with three or more children: from 39.8% it rises to 43.7%, due to the increase of the risk of poverty (from 32.2% to 35.1%).

In Italy, half of the resident households perceived, in 2012, a net income not above 24,215 euro per year (about 2.017 euro per month); in the South 50% of households receives less than 19,955 euro (about 1.663 euro per month). The median income of households living in the South is equal to 74% of that of households living in the North (the value rises to 96% in the Centre).
20% of the richest households living in Italy perceive 37.7% of total income, while the poorest 20% get only 7.9%.

Also in 2012, inequality measured by the Gini index (0.32 nationally) shows the highest value in the South (0.34), it is lower in the Centre (0.31) and in the North (0.29).
Compared to 2011, both the Gini index and the share of income held by the richest 20% of the population out of that held by the poorest 20% remained basically stable.

For information
Socio-demographic and environmental statistics directorate
Silvano Vitaletti
ph. +39 06 4673.4708
vitalett@istat.it

Reference period: Year 2013

Date of Issue: 03 November 2014

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