Insee Première · October 2021 · n° 1875

In 2019, the median standard of living increased sharply and the poverty rate decreased

In 2019, in metropolitan France, the median standard of living was €22,040 per year. It increased by 2.6% in constant euros compared to 2018, its highest increase since the early 2000s. The poorest 10% had a living standard below €11,660. The wealthiest 10% had a living standard at least 3.4 times higher, above €39,930.

In 2019, living standards increased more in the bottom and middle of the distribution. The poorest households benefited from the drop in unemployment. Living standards were supported between the third and ninth deciles by the dynamism of wages, partly linked to tax and social system reforms (removal of unemployment contribution on wages, tax and social security exemptions on overtime, exceptional purchasing power bonus), and in the bottom half of the distribution by the extension and revaluation of the working bonus.

Inequalities in living standards have decreased sharply in 2019, after having significantly increased in 2018. The Gini index was 0.289 in 2019, as in 2017 and after 0.298 in 2018.

In 2019, 9.2 million people were living below the monetary poverty threshold, which was €1,102 per month. The poverty rate was 14.6% and decreased by 0.2 points over the year. The poverty gap was almost stable, standing at 19.7% in 2019.