The table below shows the proportion of different categories of families living in poverty in Australia in 1999.

The table compares the percentage and number of poor families in Australia in 1999.

Overall

, more than a tenth of Australian families, about 1.8 million in total, were living in poverty in 1999, and couples with children made up the largest figures on low-paid families.

Firstly

,

according to

the data, only 6 per cent of aged singles and 4 per cent of aged coupled people lived in poverty in 1999.

It is clear that

older Australians were economically stronger than their younger counterparts.

In addition

, 19% of childless singles were not well off, totalling just over 0.35 million, which is considerably more than the couples without offspring representing only 7% of the people in need.

Furthermore

, lone parents were in need in 1999 with 232 000 persons and their poverty rate was the highest at 21%.

Finally

, 12% of couples with children were poor in 1999 and their share was 12% and their total was 933 000.

This

type of family was the poorest, but their share was lower than that of low-paid single parents and single persons without kids.