site.btaBulgaria Reports Highest Share of Citizens at Risk of Poverty and Social Exclusion in 2024

In 2024, 93.3 million people in the European Union, equivalent to 21% of the population of EU countries, were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This is according to the latest Eurostat data published Wednesday. 

Their share is down by 0.3 percentage points compared to 2023. Back then, 94.6 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty and social exclusion, equivalent to 21.3% of the EU population.

According to the European Statistical Agency, people are at risk of poverty and social exclusion if they are exposed to at least one of three social risks. They are at risk of poverty, of severe material and social deprivation or of being part of a household with very low economic activity.

The EU statistics office defines households with very low economic activity as those whose working-age members have covered 20% or less of normal working hours.

The share of citizens at risk of poverty or social exclusion varies across EU countries in 2024. 

Bulgaria ranked first among EU countries last year for the share of its citizens at risk of poverty and social exclusion - 30.3%. Romania followed with 27.9%, Greece with 26.9%, and Spain and Lithuania with 25.8% each.

At the other end were the Czech Republic - 11.3%, Slovenia - 14.4%, followed by the Netherlands - 15.4%, Poland – 16%, and Ireland - 16.7%.