Social Minimum Levels in Poland in the Fourth Quarter of 2023

This article presents estimates of the social minimum in the fourth quarter of 2023. On an annual basis (relative to the corresponding period a year ago), modelled household expenditure grew faster than inflation. The social minimum increased from 8.0% in the household of a parent with a younger child to 10.4% in the working household of a single person, with the consumer price index (6.4%). In contrast, in relation to the previous quarter, the increase in inflation in Q4 2023 was barely notice-able (0.5%) and the values of the social minimum increased from 0.7% (in the household of parents with an older child) to 1.0% (in the working household of a single person). The small increase in the social minimum baskets was mainly due to higher housing and energy me-dia charges. With a low CPI (0.2%), they increased by 1.1% in the model households. Among the housing expenditure baskets, charges for central heating (up by 1.9%) and water heating (up by 1.1%) increased the most, with a CPI for thermal energy of 2.2%). Expenses for cold water and hous-ing services increased by 1.1%. In contrast, the value of food needs increased between 0.2% (em-ployee households without children) and 0.4% (pensioner households), with a slightly higher CPI (0.6%).