France, Nov. 21 -- According to Secours Catholique's latest annual report, released on Thursday, the median monthly income of the people it supports fell to €565 in 2024 - down from €658 in 2014.

Nearly all of those the organisation assists- around 95 percent- were living below the poverty line last year. That threshold is defined as 60 percent of the national median income, or €1,316 per month for a single person in 2024.

And 74 percent were living in what is classed as extreme poverty - below 40 percent of median income, or €877.

It's a long-term shift that worries the charity. "Thirty years ago, poverty was considered unbearable and a problem that had to be fought," said Secours Catholique's president, Didier...