In France the poor are getting poorer, as rich get richer

LIVING standards in France slipped back in 2010 according to the latest figures from the national statistics institute, INSEE.

A measure of the median per capita living standard in France was €19,270, a drop of 0.5% from 2009 when inflation is taken into account.

However, those in the top five percent of the population saw their situation improve by 1.3%, when compared to 2009.

Worryingly, INSEE found that poverty levels were increasing in France with around 8.6 million people living below the poverty level of €964 per month, with half of them surviving on less than €781 per month.