Il 15,8% of Italians live in conditions of relative poverty. This is 9 million 563 thousand individuals of which, according to the Istat Report on Poverty for 2012, 4 million 814 thousand, or 8% of the population, are said to be in conditions of absolute poverty. Both percentages have clearly increased compared to 2011 (respectively 13,6% and 5,7%).
According to the report, 12,7% of families would be relatively poor for a total of 3 million and 232 thousand individuals, of which 1 million and 725 thousand (6,8%) are in absolute terms. Both the incidence of relative poverty (from 11,1% to 12,7%) and that of absolute poverty (from 5,2% to 6,8%) grew on an annual basis.
As for absolute poverty, the level touched is the highest since the beginning of the recordings, in 2005. The incidence of absolute poverty is growing among households composed of three (4,7% to 6,6%), four (5,2% to 8,3%) and five or more components (from 12,3% to 17,2%). Among families made up of couples with three or more children, those in absolute poverty rose from 10,4% to 16,2%. If we are dealing with three minor children, from 10,9% we reach 17,1%. Similar worsening dynamics also for relative poverty.
The only sign of improvement is observed in for elderly people alone, among whom the incidence of relative poverty is decreasing from 10,1% to 8,6% due to the adjustment of pensions to inflationary dynamics.
