The results of Eu-Silc 2017 Italian survey confirmed the positive trend, in 2016, of the total household income at current and constant prices already showed in 2015. This upward trend is accompanied by a reduction of the economic inequality and of at risk of poverty or social exclusion population.
Income indicators
In 2016 the average household net income (excluding imputed rents) was 30,595 euros, about 2,550 euros per month (showing an increase of +2.0% at current prices and +2.1% at constant prices compared to 2015).
The income growth was widespread across the different households’ income groups but higher in the lowest quintile of the population, mostly due to a recovery of employee income, reversing the downward trend of the previous year. The share of total equivalised income (excluding imputed rent) received by the most affluent fifth of the households was 39.3% against 6.7% of the poorest fifth: it means that the most affluent fifth of households had totally an equivalised income 5.9 times (it was 6.3 in 2015) higher than that one of the poorest fifth of households.
Living conditions indicators
In 2017, 28.9% of people residing in Italy were at risk of poverty or social exclusion with a decrease compared to the previous year (30.0%). Nevertheless, Italy showed a higher share of population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared to Eu mean (22.5%).
Concerning the components of at risk of poverty or social exclusion indicator, the share of people at risk of poverty was quite stable (20.3% from 20.6% in 2016) while both the share of severely deprived people (10.1% from 12.1%) and the share of people with low work intensity (11.8%, from 12.8%) decreased. In 2016, the relative at risk of poverty gap index reached 28.0% (in other terms the relative distance between the median equivalent income of poor’s population and the poverty line was 28.0%).
Taxation and labour cost indicators
In 2016, the average tax rate at the household level was stable in comparison to the previous year (19.4%). Due to tax credits for dependants, couples with three or more children and one earner showed the lowest average tax rate (8.4%). On the other hand, single people under the age of 64 and couples without children were the types of family who bore the greatest tax burden, both with an average rate over 21.9% (one or more earners).
Families with only one earner reported a lower average tax rate (19.1%) compared to that of families with two or more earners (19.6%). Among all, households with a single earner and main source of self-employment income displayed the lowest average tax rate across the entire income distribution.
For information
Gabriella Donatiello
Ph. +39 064673.4579
donatiel@istat.it
Paolo Consolini
Ph. +39 064673.2424
consolin@istat.it