PARIS: The number of French people with an income below a minimum standard in France reached 14.5 per cent in 2021, a study by France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) showed Tuesday, reported Sputnik.
Some 8.5 million French people received less than €1,158 euros (US$1,260) per month in 2020, and the number increased by 552,000 in 2021 to 9.1 million people living in poverty after the COVID-19 pandemic, the study showed.
The institute cited loss of income and increased unemployment rates as the main reasons for such a development.
The Le Monde newspaper quoted French lawmaker Arthur Delaporte as saying that the number of such people is at risk of rising further in 2022 and 2023 due to inflation, which was at six per cent at its peak at the beginning of 2023.
French association Secours Catholique, which assists the homeless and low-income population, has said the number of assistance requests increased by 10 per cent in 2022. France’s non-governmental organisations have been calling for structural reforms, saying that French President Emmanuel Macron’s social policy would not reduce poverty in the country.
The rise in poverty in the country has also been accompanied by greater social inequality. Half of France’s richest population has become even richer — the trend noticeable among the richest 20 per cent of the French.–Bernama
