The first Sustainable Development Goal aims to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Its seven associated targets aims, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty, and implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
Goal targets
Where does France stand?
View the latest data on SDG1 indicators
Domestic challenges
With 9.2 million people still living below the monetary poverty line in France in 2019, the policy to combat poverty and prevent the risk of exclusion aims to respond to the challenges arising from this assessment, in line with the challenges of the first Sustainable Development Goal.
The National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Poverty was defined in 2018 following extensive consultation with stakeholders. It consists of a set of 35 measures grouped around 5 main themes: early childhood and education; health; support, training and employment; housing and social rights.
The National Strategy for Combating Poverty seeks to increase purchasing power by simplifying the use of minimum social benefits and to facilitate the integration of young people into the labour market. This strategy has been built around the belief that combating poverty falls under a social investment policy, going beyond monetary benefits alone, and relying on the development of more services and support for people on low incomes and in precarious situations. Over the coming years, the aim will be to continue with the measures that have worked best, and to expand the action taken as part of a new act of solidarity that will make it possible to combat poverty and reduce household expenditure constraints.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an upsurge in poverty worldwide. In France, this setback on SDG1 was reflected by highlighting the difficulties faced by the most vulnerable: young people and students, women, and people living in certain disadvantaged areas; and targeted actions have been taken. This includes the introduction of the Santé psy étudiant scheme in March 2021, which helps students get up to eight sessions with a psychologist without having to pay in advance and the “1 jeune, 1 solution” plan », a measure designed to promote employment among young people as part of the recovery plan.
The international geopolitical situation (Russian invasion of Ukraine) continues to exacerbate the difficulties faced by the French in their daily lives, with a significant rise in the inflation rate to 5.2% in 2022 (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, INSEE).
0,9 The poverty rate for women (15%) is 0.9 points higher than for men (14.1%) (INSEE, 2019)
Measures to ensure simplified access to rights have been implemented. For example, the online multi-benefit simulator "My social rights" now enables anyone to find out about the main social benefits to which they may be entitled.
France’s actions
France is implementing actions to put SDG1 into practice and, more specifically the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, particularly with regard to minimum income benefits, assistance for people with disabilities, access to healthcare and access to essential services (water, energy, transport, digital communications).
As a country that is synonymous with an inclusive social model, France regularly increases the amount of aid and benefits available to the most disadvantaged sections of the population, such as the minimum old-age pension, (allocation de solidarité pour les personnes âgées, ASPA), and the disabled adults’ allowance (allocation aux adultes handicapés) which represented a cumulative budgetary allocation of more than €2 billion over the five-year period 2017-2022, and the employment bonus (prime d’activité), which benefited 4.42 million households at the end of September 2022
The health crisis has also triggered record spending to ensure social protection in emergency situations. In France, social protection benefits reached €872 billion in 2020, up 7.8% on 2019, due to additional benefits linked to the Covid-19 crisis (i.e. furlough schemes, medical equipment).
For 2023, according to INSEE, inflation should be close to 5%, and the social aid and bonus rates for 2024 should progress positively. This revaluation should help to combat the increase in the number of households below the poverty line. If approved, these changes will be implemented from 1 April 2024, which is the annual date on which minimum social benefits are increased.
With regard to accommodation and access to housing for homeless or badly housed people, the Interministerial Delegation for Accommodation and Access to Housing, created in 2010, is coordinating the radical transformation of the strategy to combat homelessness
Internationally
The Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development adopted new guidelines for France’s international solidarity policy on 18 July 2023. It confirms the emergence of a new, more partnership-based and more responsive investment policy based on solidarity and sustainability. This new dynamic is also reflected in more stringent requirements in terms of transparency, accountability and efficiency.