Last year, according to Eurostat, 6.4% of the population The EU has faced serious material and social hardships. However, compared to 2023, this level has slightly decreased (6.8%).
The most affected category is young people under the age of 18: the European average is 7.9%. This is followed by people aged 18-64 years (6.4%) and over 65 years (5.1%).
According to Eurostat, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece are the countries The EU has the highest proportion of the population facing serious material and social deprivation: 17.2%, 16.6% and 14%, respectively.
On the contrary, the lowest rates are recorded in Slovenia (1.8%), Croatia (2%) and Poland (2.3%).