Poverty New Series, Italy

Data source(s) used: Absolute poverty: The ISTAT estimate of the absolute poverty defines as poor a household with a consumption expenditure lower or equal to the monetary value of a basket of goods and services considered as essential to avoid severe forms of social exclusion. The monetary value of the basket of absolute poverty is reviewed every year in the light of trend in prices and compared to the levels of spending on household consumption. To summarize information on different poverty aspects (spread, gravity) two indices are calculated. The first is the proportion of poors (incidence), that is the ratio between the number of households (individuals) in poverty and the number of resident households (individuals). The second is the mean poverty gap (intensity), measuring 'how poors are the poors', that is, in percentage terms, the difference between the mean consumption expenditures of poor households and the monetary value of the basket of absolute poverty. Since 2014, the data source of poverty estimates (the Household Budget Survey) has been completely reviewed. As a consequence, it has been necessary to reconstruct absolute poverty time series since 2005. Time comparisons between 2014 estimates and previously disseminated estimates can be made only using reconstructed data.Relative poverty: The ISTAT estimate of the relative poverty is based on a poverty line (International Standard of Poverty Line - ISPL) defining as poor a household of two components with a consumption expenditure level lower or equal to the mean per-capita consumption expenditure. To define the relative poverty line for different household sizes an equivalence scale is used (Carbonaro equivalence scale) to take into account different needs and economies/diseconomies of scale that can be achieved in bigger/smaller households. To summarize information on different poverty aspects (spread, gravity) two indices are calculated. The first is the proportion of poors (incidence), that is the ratio between the number of households (individuals) in poverty and the number of resident households (individuals). The second is the mean poverty gap (intensity), measuring 'how poors are the poors', that is, in percentage terms, the difference between the mean consumption expenditures of poor households and the poverty line. Since 2014, the data source of poverty estimates (the Household Budget Survey) has been completely reviewed. As a consequence, it has been necessary to reconstruct relative poverty time series since 1997. Time comparisons between 2014 estimates and previously disseminated estimates can be made only using reconstructed data. Other data characteristics: Absolute poverty thresholds: The values of monthly absolute poverty thresholds, for selected household typologies (detailed by number and age of components), by geographical area and municipality type, can be calculated at: