Poverty is 5 to 15 times more common in the overseas than it is on French soil

According to an Insee study published Monday, July 11, 2011, poverty is more common in Overseas and more severe in France than on mainland France.

Poverty is 5 to 15 times more common in the overseas than it is on French soil

According to an Insee study published Monday, July 11, 2011, poverty is more common in Overseas and more severe in France than on mainland France. It is "five- to fifteen times more common." Nearly 18% French people living in extreme poverty are therefore in DROMs (overseas regions and departments), while they only account for 3% of the French population.

Guyana is the most important of the four overseas countries that were included in the study. Nearly 70% of the population lives in poverty there, compared to 20% in metropolitan areas. Half of those living in extreme poverty are on less than 470 euro per month.

INSEE places all persons with low incomes, who are unable to afford basic necessities, in a "severe" situation.

Extreme poverty affects the same categories as in France: single-parent families, complex households (households that bring together multiple generations or families), and single persons.

However, the Overseas France study shows that these households are considered to be more vulnerable than in France. For example, in Guyana and Guadeloupe, 32% and 24% respectively of single-parent families are living in extreme poverty while 5% is in France.

INSEE also shows that overseas retirees have a higher level of poverty than those in France. Only 1% of Guadeloupe-Reunionese retirees in France are poorer than they are in Guadeloupe.

A sign of greater poverty in overseas countries than in France is the fact that four to five out of ten households are without meat and don't have new clothes as often as in France.