Calay News
The deprivation rate in France has reached its highest level since this indicator began to be measured in 2013, according to data from INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques). In 2020, the deprivation rate was 13.4%, while in 2013, it was 12.4%.
The increase in the deprivation rate is mainly due to the increase in energy prices, which has led to 10.2% of households stating that they cannot sufficiently heat their homes. This figure contrasts with the 6.1% registered in 2021 and 5% in 2018.
The deprivation rate is based on households giving up certain products or services that are considered desirable or necessary to have an acceptable standard of living. These include having two pairs of shoes, adequately heating homes, eating meat or fish every other day, or enjoying one week of vacation a year. If a household experiences at least five of these deprivations from a list of 13 items, it is considered to be in a situation of “material and social deprivation” or “bad living conditions.”
The deprivation rate varies according to the composition of the households. For example, it is 6.8% among couples without children, 15.8% among singles, and 31.1% among single-parent families.
Compared to other European Union countries, the deprivation rate in France (12.7%) is higher than in Germany (11.5%) and Italy (9%), but lower than in Luxembourg, Scandinavia, and some Eastern countries, where it is less than 5%.
On the other hand, the economic poverty rate, which expresses the proportion of households whose standard of living is less than 60% of the average vital income, reached 14.6% of the French population in 2020, according to INSEE.
