When food is a luxury. Social and material deprivation in the EU and Italy

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Published by Sabrina Bergamini and Dario Dongo on 30 July 2024

A fifth of Europeans at risk of poverty

Over a fifth (22,3%) of European Union citizens were at risk of poverty in 2023. In the previous two years this percentage was 19,7% and 21,7% of the population.

Nationally, highlights Eurostat, “the highest share of people at risk of poverty who cannot afford an adequate meal was recorded in Slovakia (45,7%), followed by Hungary (44,9%) and Bulgaria (40,2%). On the other hand, the lowest share was recorded in Ireland (4,2%), followed by Cyprus (5,0%) and Portugal (5,9%)".

The phenomenon is accompanied by child poverty (2). Also in 2023, almost 20 million children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This is a quarter, 24,8%, of minors under the age of 18, substantially stable (on a dramatic value, it must be said), slightly increasing compared to 2022 (plus 0,1%). Poverty bites especially those under 18. And Italy is proof of this.

What is severe material and social deprivation

The rate of serious material and social deprivation (severe material and social deprivation rates, SMSD) is an indicator that shows the "forced lack of necessary and desirable elements to lead an adequate life".

Severe deprivation includes those segments of the population that experience, out of a list of 13 "items of deprivation", at least 7 of these shortcomings, deficiencies or difficulties.

Six elements of deprivation concern the individual and seven are related to the family situation (3).

The item includes a family level the ability to

deal with unexpected expenses;
afford to pay one week's holiday a year away from home;
deal with payment arrears (for mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, hire purchase installments or other loan payments);
afford a meal with meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian equivalent every two days;
keep the house adequately warm;
have access to a car/van for personal use;
replace worn furniture.

At an individual level, the deprivation items that help identify severe deprivation are:

have an Internet connection;
replace worn clothes with new ones;
have two pairs of well-fitting shoes (including one pair of all-weather shoes);
spend a small amount of money each week on yourself;
have regular recreational activities;
get together with friends/family for a drink/meal at least once a month.

Italy, a social disaster

In Italy, last May Istat, in its annual report, effectively certified a social disaster (4). Absolute poverty is increasing, which in 2023 concerns 8,5% of families (an increase compared to 6,2% in 2014) and almost 10% of citizens (9,8% in detail).

'Although in a context of substantial stability compared to the previous year, levels never reached before are reached, for a total of 2 million 235 thousand families and 5 million 752 thousand individuals in poverty', notes Istat.

The trend of poverty is conditioned first by the years of the pandemic (when it was affected by the restrictive measures introduced during the health emergency and by the behavior of families which, being prudent, led to a drop in spending in 2020 that was only partially recovered in 2021) and in 2022 by the strong increase in inflation, with the price crisis that it especially affected less well-off families.

Child poverty

In addition to the growth of absolute poverty, there is the phenomenon of work that does not protect families , spread of material and social deprivation among young people, with dramatic numbers. Among children and young people under the age of 16, over one million are in conditions of material and social deprivation.

In 2023, the highest incidence of absolute poverty is recorded for minor 18 years (14% of minors are poor, compared to 9,8% of the average population, for a total of 1,3 million minors).

Higher values than the national average are also recorded for 18-34 year olds and 35-44 year olds (11,9 and 11,8%, respectively). The individual incidence decreases to 5,4% of 65-74 year olds, the lowest value, and then rises to 7% in the oldest population group, that of individuals aged 75 and over.

Minors in Italy they are the population segment with the highest incidence of absolute poverty. And the gap with other age groups worsened in the years between 2014 and 2023. The situation is particularly serious for foreign minors, among whom the incidence of absolute poverty is equal to 43,7 percent , against an incidence of 9,7 percent among Italian minors (provisional data 2023).

"The increase in economic hardship for children and young people, in addition to compromising psycho-physical well-being, it can jeopardize future opportunities, with delays that are difficult to bridge and an ilasting impact on inequalities socio-economic, educational and territorial”, recognizes Istat.

Under-16s worse than the EU average

The National Institute of Statistics in 2021 it detected, as part of the Survey on Income and Living Conditions, some characteristics of the living environment of under 16s that refer to the child deprivation index.

Emerges that in Italy 13,5% of children under 16 are in conditions of material and social deprivation: there are approximately 1 million 127 thousand boys and girls, 0,5% more than the EU average. Not all territories are the same: the incidence is 20,1% in the South, 11,9% in the North and 5,7% in the Centre.

The phenomenon of deprivation almost triples among foreign children and young people resident in Italy: it concerns 34,4% of the total (almost 415 thousand minors) and reaches 33,9% of children under 16 if the parents have at most a middle school diploma.

Deprivation it also means not being able to invite friends home. And it means not having adequate food. The basic needs of many children are not being met.

Little quality food and no holidays

More data revealed by Istat: “16,9 percent of minors cannot afford "a week's holiday a year away from home" for economic reasons; again due to a lack of economic availability, 9,1 percent of the total number of minors cannot regularly carry out "paid leisure activities outside the home", a value which triples in the case of foreign minors. For the latter, it is also noted that 16,5 percent cannot afford to "invite friends to play".

You can't grow without adequate food. But in 2021, Istat still notes, "4,9 percent of children under 16 live in families that have experienced economic difficulties that prevent them from purchasing the necessary food. Furthermore, 2,5 percent of children under 16 do not consume at least one protein meal a day because their family cannot afford it. The family's inability to pay for one protein meal a day or the inability to pay for the necessary food outlines a condition of food deprivation which, in 2021, affects a total of 5,9 percent of children under 16 (6,2 percent in the North, 2,5 in the Center and 7,6 in the South)".

It is a current condition of deprivation and poverty that affects the health, growth and future of children.

#PaceTerraDignità

Sabrina Bergamini and Dario Dongo