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Survey on Living Conditions. 2024

Infographic

Infographic (In Catalan)

The at risk of poverty or social exclusion rate (AROPE rate - EU 2030 Target) in Catalonia was 24.0% in 2023, 4 tenths of a percentage point less than in 2023 (24.4%). The reduction in this rate is accounted for by the decline in the three components of the AROPE rate: the at-risk-of-poverty rate, which stands at 17.4%, 6 tenths of a percentage point less than in the previous year (18% in 2023); the population with low work intensity, which came to 6.1%, 5 tenths of a percentage point less than in 2023 (6.6%); and the percentage of the population living in severe material and social deprivation, which was 8.6% (8.9% in 2023).

By age groups, the AROPE rate only improved in the 16 to 64 age group and stood at 23.6%, 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous year. In the under-16 age group, the rate was 34.8%, which represents an increase of 1.7 percentage points compared to 2023; finally, the rate for the 65 and over age group also rose and came to 17.0% (8 tenths of a percentage point higher than in 2023).

In terms of indicators of the level of household deprivation (which capture subjective aspects of living conditions), the deprivation reported by most people was not being able to afford unforeseen expenses of 800 euros (35.2% of the population, a decrease of 9 tenths of a percentage point compared to 2023). The percentage of the population who said they could not afford to keep their home at an adequate temperature also dropped (17.6% of the population, a fall of 2.4 percentage points compared to 2023, i.e. 20.0%). In contrast, there was an increase to 30.4% in the population stating they could not afford a week’s holiday per year (29.8% in 2023).

Meanwhile, the percentage of people who reported they had difficulty making ends meet rose to 47.6% (1.1 percentage points more than in 2023) whereas the percentage of the population who said they could easily make ends meet was down to 52.2% (9 tenths of a percentage point less than in 2023).

The information on income, social benefits and work intensity provided by the Survey on Living Conditions 2024 refers to 2023. The average net income of Catalan households was 41,959 euros and 16,546 euros per person in 2023, which is an increase of 7.9% and 4.5% respectively compared to the previous year.

Income distribution inequality indicators improved in 2024. The S80/S20 indicator stood at 4.6 in 2024, 4 tenths of a point below 2023. As for the Gini coefficient, it was 29.0% in 2024 (0% indicates maximum equality and 100% indicates maximum inequality).

In 2024, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold rose by 5.9% to 13,311 euros for single-person households. This threshold is set at 60% of the median income per consumption unit of Catalan households.

The at-risk-of-poverty rate before all types of social transfers was 40.1%. This rate became 23.9% when old-age and survivor pensions were considered, and 17.4% when all social transfers (including unemployment and disability benefits and family or child allowances) were considered.

In terms of subjective wellbeing, in 2024 people gave an average rating of overall life satisfaction at 7.2 points out of 10 (the same for women as for men), one tenth of a point less than in 2023. The population at risk of poverty reported being less satisfied overall with their life (6.8) than those who were not (7.2).

Likewise, the population’s average level of trust in other people was 6.3 (6.4 for women and 6.2 for men), one tenth of a point less than in 2023. People who were at risk of poverty also had a lower average score (6.1) than those who were not at risk of poverty (6.3).