MiniMEBDL 2023 : focusing on three low-income household categories

Abstract

Over the past decade, Caritas Malta has conducted a series of research studies called the Minimum Essential Budget for a Decent Living (MEBDL). The purpose of these studies has been to identify and price a basket of goods and services for three types of families with a low-income to be able to live a basic but decent quality life. The three types of family configurations focused on were: 2 adults and 2 children, 1 adult and 2 children and an elderly couple age 65+. To date three studies have been conducted; in 2012, 2016 and 2020. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck our islands and in 2022 war broke out in Ukraine. Both these events have had a global economic impact, resulting in a steep inflation in the prices of many essential items, such as for foods and for medicines and healthcare. Given that these two categories have always emerged as representing the highest and one of the highest (respectively) proportions of the cost of the MEBDL basket, any price increases would be particularly significant for low-income families. Thus, in 2022 Caritas felt that it was necessary to update the cost of these two categories in a mini version of the MEBDL -- The MiniMEBDL 2022.This study showed how there was a high increase in the cost of the two MEBDL categories since 2020. Unfortunately, prices have continued to escalate on a global level. Thus, to help understand the implications of this for the MEBDL and low-income families in Malta, Caritas has conducted the MiniMEBDL 2023.