Low-income households

Age differences

In 2007, young people aged 12 to 17 (14 percent) and 18 to 24 (17 percent) were more likely to live in a low-income household than the total population for all ages (13 percent). 

The risk of living in a low-income household decreased with age.  In 2007, 20 percent of children aged 0 to 6 were living in low-income households, compared to just 8 percent of people aged 65 years and over.

Proportion of population living in low-income households, by age, selected years 1986-2007
  Age group Total all ages
  0-6 7-11 12-17 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+
1982 13 13 10 6 9 4 3 8
1984 15 17 13 5 10 5 2 9
1986 13 12 8 5 8 5 4 8
1988 14 13 10 6 10 6 5 9
1990 18 19 11 8 12 6 6 11
1992 36 33 27 17 23 12 6 21
1994 39 38 28 20 23 115 8 23
1996 34 33 28 18 21 13 8 21
1998 31 29 21 6 18 12 9 18
2001 31 29 23 21 18 14 7 19
2004 23 25 22 22 17 13 7 17
2007 20 16 14 17 13 11 8 13

Source: Derived from Statistics New Zealand's Household Economic Survey by the Ministry of Social Development. Median income benchmarked at 1998 and adjusted forward and back using the Consumer Price Index.  Note that the Household Economic Survey was collected two-yearly until 1998 and three-yearly thereafter.