In 2022, 21.6 % of the EU population — or some 95.3 million people — were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
The shares of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion varied across the EU countries in 2022. The highest values were reported in Romania (34%), Bulgaria (32%), Greece and Spain (both 26%). On the other hand, the lowest shares were recorded in Czechia (12%), Slovenia (13%) and Poland (16%).
In 2022, the risk of poverty or social exclusion was greater across the EU for women (rather than men), young adults (rather than middle-aged or elderly persons), people with a low level of educational attainment (rather than those with a medium or tertiary level of educational attainment) and, in particular, for unemployed people.
Over one-fifth of the EU population living in households with dependent children were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022 and the risk of poverty or social exclusion was slightly lower among households without dependent children.
Working status was unsurprisingly one of the main socio-economic characteristics that impacted upon the risk of poverty or social exclusion. In 2022, while the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU was 11.1 % for employed persons and 19.1 % for retired persons, it was almost two-thirds (65.2 %) for unemployed people and stood at 42.9 % for other inactive persons, in other words people who — for a reason other than retirement — were not working or unemployed.
The risk of poverty or social exclusion varied considerably across the EU Member States. Romania (34.4 %), Bulgaria (32.2 %) and Greece (26.3 %) reported the highest shares of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion. By contrast, Poland, Slovenia and Czechia presented shares below 16.0 % (EU value being 21.6 %).
Poverty and social exclusion
Over one in five people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion
In 2022, there were around 95.3 million people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which was equivalent to 21.6 % of the total population. The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which may be abbreviated as “AROPE”, corresponds to the sum of persons who are (i) at risk of poverty (as indicated by their disposable income); and/or (ii) face severe material and social deprivation (as gauged by their ability to afford a set of predefined material items or social activities); and/or (iii) live in a household with very low work intensity.
Component indicators which contribute to an analysis of the risk of poverty or social exclusion
Figure 1 provides an analysis for the EU population of the various risks of poverty or social exclusion. Among the 95.3 million inhabitants within the EU that faced the risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022, some 5.6 million lived in households experiencing simultaneously all three poverty and social exclusion risks. There were 11.3 million people in the EU living both at risk of poverty and in a household with very low work intensity (but not severely materially and socially deprived); 8.8 million were at risk of poverty and at the same time severely materially and socially deprived (but not in a household with very low work intensity); almost 2.2 million lived in households with very low work intensity while experiencing severe material deprivation (but were not at risk of poverty).
The profile of people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion
Women, young adults aged 18-24 years, people with a low level of educational attainment and unemployed persons were, on average, more likely to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022 than other groups within the EU population.
When analysed by sex, the risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU was higher for women than it was for men (22.7 % compared with 20.4 %).
Young adults were more at risk of poverty or social exclusion than other age groups
Concerning age, the highest risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU was recorded for young adults aged 18-24 years (26.5 %), while the lowest risk was recorded for adults aged 25-49 years (19.9 %). Between these two age groups, the risk of poverty or social exclusion was 20.2 % for people aged 65 years and over and 21.0 % among the population aged 50-64 years. The youngest age group, persons aged less than 18 years, also had a relatively high risk (24.7 %).
In addition to age, educational attainment had a considerable impact on the risk of poverty or social exclusion
At EU level, more than one-third (34.5 %) of all persons aged 18 years and over with a low level of educational attainment (ISCED levels 0-2) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 10.5 % of people in the same age group with a tertiary (high) level of educational attainment (ISCED levels 5-8). The corresponding percentage for people with a medium level of educational attainment (ISCED levels 3-4) was 19.8 %.
Unemployed people faced a particularly high risk of poverty or social exclusion
In the EU, almost two-thirds (65.2 %) of the unemployed aged 18 years and over were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022. Inactive persons (other than in retirement) faced the second-highest risk on the basis of an analysis by activity status, with 42.9 % at risk. For comparison, the share of people in retirement who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 19.1 % and the share of employed persons was 11.1 %.
In the EU as a whole, the risk of poverty or social exclusion for households with dependent children was a little higher than for those without
More than one-fifth (22.4 %) of people living in households with dependent children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion which was slightly higher than the respective share among households without dependent children (20.8 %). Nevertheless, these rates varied considerably across the EU Member States. For people living in households with dependent children, the rate ranged from peaks of 36.0 % in Romania, 30.7 % in Bulgaria and 29.2 % in Spain down to 11.7 % in Denmark, 11.3 % in Czechia and 8.9 % in Slovenia. For those in households without dependent children, the rates varied from 34.5 % in Estonia, 33.8 % in Bulgaria and 33.4 % in Latvia to 14.5 % in Luxembourg, 12.3 % in Czechia and 11.4 % in Slovakia.
More information: Eurostat
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