In 2015, The risk of income poverty remained stable in Belgium at around 15%. This is reported on Monday by the FPS Economy on the basis of a survey on incomes and living standards (by EU-SILC which provides related statistics). This was conducted last year amongst 6,000 households. Moreover, more than one in five Belgians is at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Last year, 15% of the Belgian population was deemed at risk of income poverty. This group includes those living alone with a monthly disposable income of less than 1,083 euros. It also covers households comprising two adults and two children, whose income does not exceed 2,274 euros.
According to the FPS Economy, the categories most vulnerable to the risk of poverty are members of single parent families and the unemployed. Moreover, 6% of the population were enduring serious material deprivation and 15% of individuals under 60 were living in a household with low work volumes of work.
Individuals faced with one of these three risks (income poverty, serious material deprivation or low work volumes) are judged to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Last year, these risks concerned 21% of the Belgian population. At the time, the unemployed and those not working for other reasons were the groups most at risk.
Although the overall rate of poverty remains stable, on the plus side the situation of older people is tending to improve in Belgium. The poverty rate amongst the over 65s indeed decreased from 21% in 2004 to 15% last year.
(Source: Belga)
