In 2022 just under a quarter of the population (24.4%) is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, almost the same as in 2021 (25.2%). However, as the economy recovers, the population in severe material and social deprivation is significantly reduced (4.5 percent compared to 5.9 percent in 2021) and the population at risk of poverty remains stable (20.1 percent). This is the finding of the Istat report on "Living Conditions and Household Income" covering the years 2021-2022. In 2021 the average household income (33,798 euros) has returned to growth in both nominal (+3%) and real (+1%) terms. In 2021, the total income of the wealthiest households is 5.6 times that of the poorest ones (ratio basically stable compared to 2020). This value - Istat points out - would have been higher (6.4) in the absence of household support interventions. It is equal to +1.4% growth in median income in 2021, the median net household income is 26,979 euros (2,248 euros per month). Equivalent to +5.8 percent is the increase in self-employment income at constant prices (+4.2 percent growth in employment income and -4.8 percent growth in transfer income related to the health emergency). On the other hand, 15 percent of households benefited from extraordinary support measures: for these households, the average amount during 2021 was 2,262 euros (6.5 percent of household income).