Standards of living in 2016 The working bonus [French wage supplement] supported improvements in the standard of living for the poorest

In 2016, the median standard of living of the French population stood at €20,520 per year, a sum 0.9% higher than in 2015 in real terms. It has returned to its pre-crisis level. The poorest 10% had an annual living standard below €11,040. The most affluent 10% had a living standard at least 3.4 times greater, i.e. above €37,570. In 2016, living standards increased more at the bottom and in the middle of the distribution. The poorest households benefited particularly from implementation of the working bonus in January 2016. However, living standards were stable at the top of the distribution and even fell for the most affluent 5%.

After remaining stable in 2015, overall inequality declined slightly in 2016. The Gini index decrease from 0.292 to 0.288.

In 2016, 8.8 million people were living below the monetary poverty line, which was €1,026 per month. The poverty rate was 14.0% of the population, after being 14.2% in 2015. Poverty gap was stable at 19.7%.

Poverty remained closely linked to employment status. In 2016, 38.3% of the unemployed lived below the poverty line, compared with 6.4% of wage earners. The poverty rate also varied widely depending on the family situation: 34.8% of people living in a single parent family in 2016 were living in poverty.