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Taxes and taxable income: Income mobility:

Many foreign born persons are at persistent risk of poverty

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2017-06-01 9.30

More than 14 percent, or one out of seven people in the population were at risk of poverty in 2015. Nearly nine percent were at persistent risk of poverty. This means that they were at risk of poverty in 2015 and during at least two out of the three preceding years.

The percentage of people who were at persistent risk of poverty varies widely among different groups. Among single women with children, the proportion was 27 percent, while among cohabiting adults without children, the proportion was only three percent. Among children aged 0–19 years, the proportion was almost 12 percent.

Almost one in five foreign born persons were at persistent risk of poverty, while among Swedish born persons, the proportion was six percent.

Gainfully employed persons are seldom at persistent risk of poverty. The proportion in this group was less than two percent, while nearly one in four among those classified as not gainfully employed, such as students, unemployed persons, persons who are ill and retired persons were at persistent risk of poverty.

This proportion was below three percent in five municipalities: Danderyd, Täby, Nykvarn, Ekerö and Lomma. The proportion was above 12 percent in about one in five municipalities.

Definitions and explanations

Persistent risk of poverty refers to persons living in a household where the equivalised disposable income is less than 60 percent of the median in 2015 and in at least two out of the preceding three years. This definition is also used by Eurostat to calculate the persistent at-risk-of-poverty rate.

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

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Statistics Sweden, Population and Economic Welfare Statistics Unit

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Hans Heggemann

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Johan Lindberg

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