[UK] Report highlights NI poverty rate

from The BBC

Half of Northern Ireland's population have an income of less than £300 a week, according to a government report.

The study found that the number of people living below the average income was high, compared to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Pensioners are particularly affected, with over 50% living on less than the national average, the report states.

People living in the west of Northern Ireland were more likely to be on a low income, according to the research.

Those in Cookstown and Magherafelt were more likely to be living on less, whilst those living in Carrickfergus and Lisburn were generally better off.

Researchers also found that about one in five individuals living in low income families did not have a bank account and seven in ten individuals had no savings.

Single pensioners, in particular single men, were more likely to be at the bottom end of the income distribution.

Almost 40% of pensioners, living below the average income, were not in receipt of any benefits listed.

The report, called: "Households Below Average Income, Northern Ireland, 2004-05" covers the period April 2004 to March 2005. It is the second in a series providing information on households in Northern Ireland.

It was commissioned by the Department of Social Development and looked at incomes in terms of gender, age and where people lived.