In 2023, 13.9% of the population living in households, or 127,236 individuals, were classified as "at risk of poverty," as their equivalent disposable income was equal to or below €11,324 annually, according to data released by the Statistical Service on Thursday.

Overall, 28.0% of the population, or 256,951 individuals, fell into the "Lower Income Class" in 2023, with equivalent disposable income below €14,155 per year. In comparison, 29.4% were in the "Lower Income Class" in 2022, and 27.4% in 2021.

In 2023, 64.1% of the population, or 587,144 individuals (63.1% in 2022 and 64.5% in 2021), belonged to the "Middle Income Class," with equivalent disposable income ranging from €14,156 to €37,746 annually. Meanwhile, 7.9% of the population, or 72,601 individuals (7.6% in 2022 and 8.1% in 2021), were in the "Upper Income Class," with their equivalent disposable income exceeding €37,747 annually.

Specifically, according to the Statistical Service, the median equivalent disposable national income ranged from €14,156 to €18,873.

More detailed data reveals that of the 64% of the population that belonged to the "Middle Income Class" in 2023, 21.9% of this class, or 200,975 individuals, fell into the "Lower Middle Income Class," with equivalent disposable income corresponding to the median equivalent disposable national income of €14,156 to €18,873.

The "Middle Middle Income Class" comprised 30.3% of the "Middle Income Class," or 277,292 individuals, with household equivalent disposable income of €18,874 - €28,309. The remaining 11.9%, or 108,877 individuals, belonged to the "Upper Middle Income Class," with household equivalent disposable income of €28,310 - €37,746.

It should be noted that equivalent disposable income is calculated by dividing the total disposable income of the household (total net income of all members after social transfers) by the equivalent household size, which results from applying the following weighting factors: 1st adult = 1.0 units, other persons aged 14 and over = 0.5 units, and persons under 14 years old = 0.3 units.

Furthermore, interesting data indicates that the median equivalent disposable income of the population living in "Upper Income Class" households amounted to €46,711, which is over 200% higher than the median equivalent disposable national income.

For the "Lower Income Class," the median equivalent disposable income for the portion of the population living in households was €11,339, which is less than 75% of the median equivalent disposable national income. In contrast, for the population living in households at risk of poverty, the median equivalent disposable income was €9,619, which is below 60% of the median equivalent disposable national income.

The "Lower Middle Income Class" had a median equivalent disposable income of €16,368, which is 75% - 100% of the median equivalent disposable national income.

The "Middle Middle Income Class" had a median equivalent disposable income of €22,838, which is 100% - 150% of the median equivalent disposable national income, while the "Upper Middle Income Class" had a median equivalent disposable income of €31,267, which is 150% - 200% of the median equivalent disposable national income.

According to data from the Statistical Service, 1.2% of the "Upper Income Class" living in households delayed payments on their primary residence loan or rent in 2023, compared to 8.8% in 2018.

The corresponding percentage for the "Middle Income Class" in 2023 was 9.4%, down from 18.3% in 2018, while for the "Lower Income Class," it remained close to the 2018 figures, at 31.6% in 2023, down from 32.8% in 2018.

The Statistical Service notes that historically, the highest percentage of individuals living in households that delayed payments on their primary residence loan or rent is found in the "Lower Income Class."