The low-income threshold represents a fixed purchasing power level over time and is adjusted annually only for price developments. Persons who are part of a household with a long-term income below the low-income threshold are referred to by CBS as persons with a (long-term) low income or at (long-term) risk of poverty. In 2020, the threshold for a single person was 1,100 euros per month, for a couple it was 1,550 euros. For a couple with two minor children, the threshold was 2,110 euros and for a single-parent family it was 1,680 euros. In 2020, 513 thousand of the more than 7.5 million households had to live on a low income. This is equivalent to 6.8 percent (households at risk of poverty). In 2020, the number of people belonging to these 513 thousand households stood at over 900 thousand. This corresponds to 5.5 percent of the total population.
Back to article