Istat disseminates the relative and absolute poverty estimations for the households residing in Italy, based on 2011 Households Budget Survey data. Being sample estimations, they are affected by sampling error: small differences can be not statistically significant.
In 2011 the relative poverty incidence was equal to 11.1%, whereas the absolute poverty to 5.2%. Taking into account the sampling error, the phenomenon was stable in comparison with 2010.
The relative poverty threshold, for a two-members household, was equal to 1.011,03 Euros.
The relative poverty increased in households without employed or retired members (from 40.2% to 50.7%) or where all the members are retired (single or couples), from 8.3% to 9.6%. The situation of the households with all retired members worsened also in terms of absolute poverty (from 4.5% to 5.5%).
The absolute poverty increased in the households headed by a retired person (from 4.7% to 5.4%), especially if, without employed, at least one member is looking for a job (from 8.5% to 16.5%).
The condition worsened, in terms of absolute poverty, for households headed by a person with low professional profiles and/or education levels: headed by workers (from 6.4% to 7.5%), with low (from 8.3% to 9.4%) or medium educational level (from 5.1% to 6.2%).
Poverty increased also among couples with a minor child, both for relative (from 11.6% to 13.5%) and absolute poverty (from 3.9% to 5.7%).
Compared to the stability observed in the North and the Centre, in the South and Islands the intensity of relative poverty increased (from 21.5% to 22.3%). In this geographical area, the mean equivalent consumption expenditure is equal to 785.94 Euros.