Who are the rich in France? This question, which regularly arises in public debate - especially when it comes to taxation -, INSEE answers it in a study published on Tuesday. A person is said to be "very high income" , that is to say that he belongs to the wealthiest 1%, when he receives at least 9000 euros of net income per month.
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The “very wealthy” , the richest 0.1%, belong to households whose annual income is greater than 268,350 euros. This equates to a monthly income of more than 22,360 euros for a single person and 46,960 euros for a couple with two children.
In 2017, 43% of people belonging to a very high income household lived in Île-de-France. "This concentration is explained in particular by the economic weight of the territory: Île-de-France is the leading French economic region and executives represent 30% of employment there, against 18% at the national level" , notes the Insee.
As with all households, wages are their main resource.As with all households, wages are their main resource. However, these well-to-do households more often receive non-wage income and wealth. Income from property is even "the main source of income" for 22% of households with very high income, this figure climbing to 34% for very wealthy households - compared to 5% for the whole population.
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Another characteristic, these people are more frequently "couples without children, or households of which at least one member is over 60 years", details INSEE.
Partly because of the progressive income tax scale, households with “very high income” pay 30% of their initial income in the form of direct taxes; this proportion reaches 35% for the “very wealthy” - against 15% for the whole population.
