Fewer Belgians living below poverty line

Belgium has seen a sharp fall in poverty since 2019, with only 11.5 per cent of the population now living below the poverty threshold, according to a new report from the Federal Public Service for Social Security. 

That figure is well below the EU average of 16.2 per cent, and only the Czech Republic performs better.

The poverty line is set at 60 per cent of median income: 1,520 euros per month for a single person or 3,191 euros for a couple with two children. In 2019, 14.8 per cent of Belgians lived under this threshold, suggesting recent rises in benefits and minimum wages have had an impact.

But the report also highlights Belgium’s weak spot: families with low work intensity. In 11.3 per cent of households, less than a fifth of working-age adults are employed. That is the worst rate in Europe, compared with an EU average of 7.9 per cent.

^{Food distribution in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO BENOIT DOPPAGNE}