SUBSISTENCE MINIMUM AND SOCIAL MINIMUM LEVELS BY AREA IN POLAND IN 2024

<ns3:p>The article presents the results of estimates of the subsistence minimum (ME) as well as social minimum baskets (MS) in a territorial breakdown (by province and city class) in 2024. Both indicators are important for assessing the well-being of households.The minimum subsistence level (ME) determines the model way of satisfying needs at a minimum level, below which there is a biological threat to life. The social minimum (SM) defines the costs of maintaining households that are at risk of poverty.The value of the subsistence minimum in 2024 for a family with two children was highest in the Lubuskie Voivodeship (+5.1 p.p. in relation to the national average) and lowest in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (-6.3 p.p.). With inflation slowing down in 2024 (3.6%), the minimum subsistence level increased by an average of 5.0 p.p., with the lowest increase in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (+2.9 p.p.) and the highest in the Silesian and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (+5.8 p.p.). The spreads between the extreme values in the provinces increased to 11.4 p.p., which is a significant change compared to the 2023 data (9.8 p.p.). However, for single-person households, these ranges were higher (14.4 p.p. for working-age people and 15.1 p.p. for retired people).Across city classes, the degree of variation in ME values increased. In the largest agglomerations (over 500,000 inhabitants), the subsistence minimum level was 4.9 p.p. higher, while in cities with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, these values were 1.8 p.p. lower.The lowest values of the social minimum in 2024 across regions were recorded in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (-4.7 p.p.), and the highest in the Lubuskie Voivodeship (+3.9 p.p.). The spread between regions with extreme values was 8.6 p.p. (compared to 7.3 p.p. in 2023). The scale of these spreads is small – the level of variation in actual household expenditure was almost four times higher. Across city classes, the differences in social minimum values were not significant. The highest social minimum was found in the largest agglomerations (+3.4 p.p.), while the lowest was found in cities with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants (-1.1 p.p.).</ns3:p>