site.btaBulgarians Most Dissatisfied with Financial Situation among EU Residents, Eurostat Reports

In 2022, Bulgarians were most dissatisfied with their financial situation among all EU Member States, according to data released by the EU Statistical Office (Eurostat) on Tuesday. Of the six EU countries with a satisfaction level below 6 on a 0 to 10 scale (meaning people were more dissatisfied than satisfied with their financial situation), Greece (5.3), Croatia (5.7), Slovakia (5.8) and Hungary and Latvia (both 5.9) performed better than Bulgaria (4.6) in this respect.

At the other end of the scale, the highest levels of satisfaction were found in the Netherlands and Finland, both at 7.6, followed by the Sweden at 7.4 and Austria at 7.3.

On the average, EU residents were quite satisfied with their financial situation in 2022, rating it 6.6 on a 0 to 10 scale, Eurostat reported. This was slightly lower compared to the 7.1 overall life satisfaction rating for the same year. 

From 2013 to 2022, people’s satisfaction with their financial situation rose in most EU countries. In comparison to 2018, people’s satisfaction with their financial situation has risen by 0.1, and in comparison to 2013 by 0.5, the statistical agency said.

Bulgarians rated their satisfaction with their financial situation at 4.3 in 2018 and at 3.8 in 2013 on a 0 to 10 scale.

The relationship between the level of income and the satisfaction with the financial situation varies slightly between EU countries. Those in the lowest income quintile are most dissatisfied in Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia. These are also the countries with the biggest gap in satisfaction levels between the highest and lowest earners.

In Greece, the satisfaction level of those in the highest income quintile was more than double the level for those in the lowest income quintile; in Bulgaria and Croatia, it was 75% higher.

In Bulgaria, the satisfaction level of those in the highest income quintile was below that of people in the lowest income quintile in Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Malta, Eurostat data shows.