生活保護申請、４年連続増　２３年は２５．５万件―厚労省

　２０２３年の生活保護申請件数が２５万５０７９件（１～３月は確定値、４月以降は速報値）で、４年連続で増加したことが６日、厚生労働省の調査で分かった。前年比では７．６％程度の伸び。厚労省は、コロナ禍や物価高騰の影響で貯蓄を切り崩す人が増え、増加傾向が続いたとみている。
　また、２３年１２月分の申請件数は前年同月比５．６％増の１万８６９５件（速報値）だった。前年同月を上回るのは１２カ月連続で、１２年度に現行調査が始まって以来、最長を更新した。
　被保護者世帯は１６５万３７７８世帯。一時的な保護停止を除いた内訳は、高齢者世帯が５５．１％、失業者を含む「その他の世帯」は１５．８％だった。（2024/03/06-11:49）

The number of welfare benefit applications stood at 255,079 in Japan in 2023, rising for the fourth consecutive year, the welfare ministry said Wednesday.
   The number increased around 7.6 pct from the previous year as more people dipped into their savings to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and price hikes, ministry officials said.
   In December alone, there were 18,695 applications, up 5.6 pct from a year earlier. The monthly number increased for the 12th straight month, the longest period of decline since the current form of research began in 2012.
   The number of households on welfare totaled 1,653,778. Of the total excluding those suspended from the aid, 55.1 pct were households that had only aged members or were led by such people.
   Households that fall under the "others" category, which includes those led by unemployed people but excludes those led by single mothers and people with disabilities or disease, accounted for 15.8 pct.