Standards of living in 2015

In 2015, the median standard of living in France stands at €20,300 per year, which is slightly higher than that of 2014 in constant euros. At the top of the scale, living standards are starting to rise again after several years of decline; the increase is particularly marked among the most affluent. At the bottom of the scale, living standards are stagnating with the exception of the first decile, where the increase makes up for the slight decline seen in the previous year. In 2015, the poorest 10% have a standard of living below €10,860. The most affluent 10% have a living standard at least 3.5 times higher, that is to say above €37,510.

After falling significantly in 2013, overall inequality — as measured by the Gini index — has been stable since 2014.

The monetary poverty line, which is defined as 60% of the population's median income, stands at €1,015 per month. Thus defined, poverty affects 14.2 % of the population, a stable proportion compared to 2014; however, the severity of poverty is on the decline.

Poverty is closely linked with employment status. In 2015, 37.6% of the unemployed live below the poverty line, compared with 6.5% of wage earners. The poverty rate in both the occupied and unemployed labour forces varies significantly according to socio-professional category: 15.3% of blue-collar workers are poor according to the monetary approach, compared with 3.1% of managers and higher intellectual professions.