In 2023, around 94.6 million people in the European Union (21% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to data released by Eurostat on Wednesday.
This figure represents a slight decrease from 2022, when 95.3 million people (22% of the population) were in this precarious situation. Eurostat notes that these individuals lived in households facing at least one of three risks: poverty, severe material or social deprivation, and/or very low work intensity.
The proportion of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion varied significantly across EU countries in 2023. The highest rates were reported in Romania (32%), Bulgaria (30%), Spain (27%), and Greece (26%).
Conversely, the lowest rates were observed in Czechia (12%), Slovenia (14%), and both Finland and Poland (16%).
