Insee Analyses · April 2026 · n° 118

Extended Household Income in 2023 National Public Redistribution Raised Households’ Extended Standard of Living at the Cost of Public Indebtedness

In 2023, extended net primary income averaged 44,300 euros per consumption unit (CU). It mainly consists of income generated by work, income received by households from their real estate and financial assets, as well as undistributed corporate profits, here reallocated to shareholder households, before any redistribution carried out by national public authorities. This average concealed substantial disparities across household categories: it reached 89,000 euros per CU for households whose reference person was an active executive, self‑employed or business owner, compared with around 36,500 euros for employees and manual workers.

After national public redistribution, the average extended standard of living rose to 45,700 euros per CU. This increase reflected the fact that redistribution was not budget‑neutral: public authorities redistributed more than they collected, thereby providing an additional income of 1,400 euros per CU on average through public indebtedness. Redistribution significantly reduced disparities. The extended standard of living of executives was reduced by about one third relative to their extended primary income, while that of employees and manual workers remained broadly unchanged. Retirees were, on average, major beneficiaries, notably due to the inclusion of pension benefits and healthcare reimbursements in this extended redistribution.

After public transfers, the income of the top 10% of individuals was 3.5 times higher than that of the bottom 10%, compared with a ratio of 26 before redistribution.

In total, 56% of individuals received in 2023 more than they contributed through this extended redistribution, with an average annual gain of 23,900 euros per CU. This share varied widely across the standard of living distribution: from 99% among the bottom 10% to 18% among the top 10%. It reached 96% among individuals living in households where the average age of adults was 65 or over, compared with 43% among the rest of the population.