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Published: 25 January 2012

Number of low income earners stopped growing

There were 706,000 low income earners in Finland in 2010. The low income rate, or the proportion of low income earners in total population, was 13.3 per cent. From 2007 to 2010, the number of low income earners stayed at around 700,000 and the low income rate fluctuated between 13.1 and 13.5 per cent. Thus, the past few years have seen the end to the prolonged trend of growth that had continued since the mid-1990s.

Number of low income earners and low income rate, 1987-2010

In 2010, the low income limit per consumption unit was EUR 14,741. In other words, a person living alone is a low income earner if his or her monthly income is less than EUR 1,228. In the previous year, the low income limit was EUR 334 (EUR 28 per month) lower than this. Low income earners refer to persons whose household's equivalent income is below 60 per cent of the median of the population's equivalent income.

Low income earning is most widespread among the very youngest and oldest age groups. Child poverty, or the proportion of under 18-year-old children belonging to low income households of all under 18-year-old children was 12.4 per cent. The low income risk of young adults, i.e. population aged 16 to 24, was 26.5 per cent. The low income risk of persons aged 75 or over was 19.5 per cent.

At risk of poverty indicators, 1990–2010

	1990	1995	2000	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
EUROS, IN 2010 MONEY
Median income of the whole population	17 886	16 842	19 116	22 500	22 430	22 961	23 234	24 011	24 569
Low income limit 60 %, EUR per consumption unit	10 732	10 105	11 470	13 500	13 458	13 777	13 940	14 407	14 741
Median income of low income earners, EUR per consumption unit	9 287	8 739	9 941	11 476	11 428	11 697	11 601	12 168	12 394
Poverty gap, EUR	1 445	1 366	1 529	2 024	2 030	2 080	2 339	2 239	2 347
Poverty gap, %	13,5	13,5	13,3	15,0	15,1	15,1	16,8	15,5	15,9
PERSONS
Population	4 974 383	5 053 076	5 105 187	5 179 228	5 199 039	5 222 056	5 247 446	5 271 533	5 294 659
Low income earners	394 978	361 744	576 104	660 537	651 761	706 891	696 119	690 251	706 030
Low income rate	7,9	7,2	11,3	12,8	12,5	13,5	13,3	13,1	13,3
Child poverty, aged 0 to 17	61 107	56 099	134 759	130 438	137 369	152 054	148 878	145 531	134 904
Child poverty rate, aged 0 to 17	5,1	4,8	11,9	11,8	12,4	13,9	13,6	13,3	12,4
Low income earners, aged 18 to 64	210 632	258 067	362 161	405 749	397 571	418 180	420 765	436 142	447 081
Low income rate of persons aged 18 to 64	6,8	8,1	11,2	12,4	12,2	12,8	12,8	13,3	13,6
Low income earners, aged over 65	123 239	47 578	79 184	124 350	116 821	136 657	126 476	108 578	124 045
Low income rate of persons aged over 65	18,7	6,7	10,5	15,2	13,9	16,1	14,6	12,3	13,5

Source: Income Distribution Statistics 2010, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Hannele Sauli (09) 1734 3497, Kaisa-Mari Okkonen (09) 1734 3408, income@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 25.1.2012