site.btaBulgaria Records EU's Second-Highest Proportion of Subjectively Poor People in 2024

Bulgaria had one of European Union's highest proportions of subjectively poor people in 2024, show Eurostat data published on Thursday. The country ranked second with 37.4% behind Greece (66.8%) and ahead of Slovakia (28.7%). Subjective poverty is an individual’s perception on his or her financial/material situation. 

The lowest rates were reported in the Netherlands and Germany (both 7.3%), as well as in Luxembourg (8.5%). 

In the EU, 17.4% of the population was considered subjectively poor, which is an improvement on the 19.1% recorded in 2023.

In 2024, the subjective poverty rate was highest among people under 18 years old in the EU, at 20.6%. The rate was 17.3% among people aged 18 to 64, and 14.9% among the older generation (65 years and over). Notably, the overall share decreased for all age groups from 2023 to 2024. The largest decrease was found in the 18–64 age group, at 1.8%, while the decline for both the youngest and oldest age groups was 1.6%.