Last year, fewer people received minimum income or social assistance across Austria than in 2021. According to Statistics Austria, there were an average of almost 190,000 recipients in 2022. Most of them (134,000 people) live in Vienna. Women are slightly more affected than men.
In addition, nearly 66,000 children were among the recipients last year, the majority of whom were under the age of 14. Those who do have a job are less likely to need anti-poverty benefits from the government. This still applied to 14,200 workers.
The vast majority of those affected live in Vienna, although in the federal capital, as in all states, there was a decrease compared to 2021. Expenditure on minimum safety and social assistance has nevertheless increased. 972.2 million was spent. Each household received an average of 741 euros per month, which is a slight increase.
Here you can see a graph with the number of recipients in recent years.
The amount depends on the family size
The exact amount depends, among other things, on the size of the household – in 2023 the social assistance will amount to a maximum of around 1,054 euros for singles and single parents, and 1,475 euros for couples – and there are also allowances for people with disabilities.
Some states offer additional benefits, such as housing assistance. The maximum rates for children and the linking of social assistance to language skills have been abolished by the Constitutional Court (VfGH). Last year, 81,000 recipients had Austrian citizenship and 92,000 people came from third countries. Among them were many asylum seekers (66,350).
Source: Krone
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