1528 replies to this topic

[dasmo]

Here is the source. https://www.oecd.org...verty-rate.html

But…
Higher inequality often leads to higher relative poverty rates (USA is a notable example with higher relative poverty).

So relative doesn’t really paint a real picture necessarily in terms of people struggling to survive vs people with less than those with more.

Statistics can and are used to lie with.

[Mike K.]

I didn’t even make a statement on the issue of poverty, I only asked for Tony to source his work.

Tony, opinion is fine, but when it’s stylized to look like text copied and pasted from another source, it ought to be cited.

[Tony]

My basic point was when someone says that Canada has The highest poverty rate in the G7. This seems to be acceptable  to say without providing any sources. 

 

I think if such a statement is made it best to provide the source of the information.

If you challenge such a statement it is best to provide the source of the informatio,

[dasmo]

Exactly. 

I forgot to add another source to my comment. 

https://a.co/d/htwJKkB

[Mike K.]

A quick Google search shows:

Based on data from around 2015 (or the latest year available at the time of the 2018 Canadian G7 Presidency report), the overall poverty rates for G7 nations were as follows:
USA: 17%
Italy: 13%
Canada: 14% (Note: the snippet has a slight discrepancy, listing 14% overall poverty vs 17% child poverty, but places the USA rate higher)
Japan: 16% (Note: this refers to child poverty, the overall poverty matches child poverty at 16%)
UK: 11%
France: 8%
Germany: 9.5%

https://www.google.c...mobile&ie=UTF-8

It’s the third-highest in general, and highest for children among the G7, with the US, but the other data cited doesn’t include children specifically.

[dasmo]

Still, those are relative measurements, not absolute. To really understand poverty as we would see it as a problem would be an absolute measurement and would need to be aggregated by city. 

 

"As with income inequality, the starting point for poverty measurement is the concept of equivalised household disposable income (see “Definition and measurement” of the “Household income” or “Income inequality” indicators).

The poverty rate is a headcount of how many people fall below the poverty line. People are classified as poor when their equivalised disposable household income is less than 50% of the median in each country. The use of a relative income threshold means that richer countries have the higher poverty thresholds. Higher poverty thresholds in richer countries capture the notion that avoiding poverty means an ability to access to the goods and services that are regarded as customary or the norm in any given county. Poverty rates by age group are calculated based on the median income for the entire population."

 

https://www.oecd.org...rce=chatgpt.com

Edited by dasmo, 26 January 2026 - 10:05 AM.

[dasmo]

So in summary, If Americans are richer overall, they might have a higher poverty rate than Canadians but more Canadians might be struggling just to survive.  Where more Americans might be struggling to get a bigger TV than their neighbor..... 

[lanforod]

You kind of have to use a relative measure though because cost of living varies by country too. But absolutely, its a flawed metric as well because cost of living varies dramatically within each country as well. Someone below the poverty line in Canada, but living in Burns lake could well be living a lot more comfortably than someone with higher income in Victoria.

Edited by lanforod, 26 January 2026 - 01:37 PM.

[dasmo]

You kind of have to use a relative measure though because cost of living varies by country too. But absolutely, its a flawed metric as well because cost of living varies dramatically within each country as well. Someone below the poverty line in Canada, but living in Burns lake could well be living a lot more comfortably than someone with higher income in Victoria.

The measure isn't relative to the cost of living though. That would be more absolute. 

It is a measure of if "disposable household income is less than 50% of the median in each country."

So if the median is $150,000 and you make $70,000 and the cost of living is $50,000 then you are in the poverty statistic. But you are not poor, you just have less disposable income than most. 

See. this is how they lie with statistics.....