Press release: 12.502-093/21
Vienna, 2021-04-29
– In 2020, 233 000 persons or 2.7% of the total population were severely
materially deprived, meaning their living conditions were severely constrained
by a lack of resources in comparison with a European minimum living
standard. As Statistics Austria further reports, the proportion of people
affected has declined since the start of the time-series in 2008 by
more than half from 5.9% to 2.7% in 2020 (a minus of 252 000 persons
in total numbers). European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions,
EU-SILC, surveyed during the first half of 2020 don't yet show the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic in the results for the main poverty indicators,
however, they capture a rise in financial worries.
"In 2020, 233 000 people or 2.7% of the population
could not afford various expenses to secure the EU minimum standard
of living. This means that the number of significantly materially deprived
people in Austria has decreased by 252 000 over the last twelve years.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, however, financial worries have increased
significantly," explains Statistics Austria Director General Tobias
Thomas.
Additional to the absolute measure of material deprivation
a relative risk-of-poverty can be reported: 1 222 000 persons corresponding
to 13.9% of the population had low household income (equivalised household
income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold of 60% of the national
median). 465 000 persons below the age of 60, or 7.1%, lived in households
with a low work intensity (below 20% of potential work intensity of
all persons of working age of that household).
A combination of those three indicators – absolute
living standard below a European minimum living standard, relative risk-of-poverty
due to low household income and low household work intensity – defines
the measure known in European social statistics as "risk of poverty
or social exclusion". 1 529 000 persons or 17.5% of the population
in Austria were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2020, as Statistics Austria
reports. Since these categories can overlap, the total number of persons
at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion is lower than the sum of the
three individual indicators.
When comparing with the European Union a much lower
poverty risk has been reported throughout the time-series for Austria.
The latest figures of the EU-28 average for the year 2019 show that
21.4% were affected by poverty or social exclusion, while in Austria
it was 16.9% in 2019 and 17.5% in 2020 (an update of EU-numbers can
be expected for autumn 2021).
Even if the European Union Statistics on Income and
Living Conditions of 2020 don't yet show the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic in the main poverty indicators first results for living conditions
at the beginning of the crisis can be shown: Worse conditions for persons
affected by risk of poverty or social exclusion in fields like housing
(e.g. over-crowding), possession of computers and availability of internet
and general health status become more noticeable in a critical situation
as caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the negative perception of
income development has increased in general. In the years before the
crisis, 2018 and 2019, respectively 9% and 8% estimated to have less
income at their disposal in the months to come, whereas in 2020 this
number rose to 15%. For 13% of the poverty risk group an income decline
is expected, about as often as for those not at risk (15%). For the
past income development 30% of those at risk of poverty or social exclusion
reported a loss, compared to 19% of those with no poverty risk. In 21%
of those cases loss of job or bankruptcy of one's business were named
to be the main reason.
For more detailed information please refer to the German
version.
© STATISTICS AUSTRIA,
Last Changed 29.04.2021