Eurostat: one in four Greeks lives in poverty

Greece is a poverty champion at the European Union level, with one in four people living in the country facing the risk of poverty and/or social exclusion.

Data published by Eurostat on the eve of the European elections show that in Greece, 26% of the population (2.4 million people) live in households facing at least one of the following risks: poverty, extreme material and social living conditions, low employment.

The average poverty and social exclusion rate in the EU27 is 21.4%, corresponding to 94.6 million citizens. The percentage is down slightly from 2022, when it reached 22% and 95.3 million people.

Romania and Bulgaria have the highest percentages of people at risk of poverty and/or social exclusion – 32% and 30% respectively, with Spain in third place, not far behind Greece with 26%. Conversely, the lowest percentages were recorded in the Czech Republic (12%), Slovenia (14%), Finland and Poland (both 16%).

According to the latest data ELSTATa composite index of poverty and/or social exclusion improved slightly compared to 2022, down only 0.2 percentage points (from 26.3%), but this is mainly due to a decrease in the number of those living in low-income households.

Others individual indicators, on the contrary, worsened, for example, the percentage of the population at risk of poverty after social payments (pensions, benefits, etc.), which is 18.9%. But the greatest deterioration is observed in the percentage of people living in conditions of severe material problems (from 15.6% to 16.6%).

Tellingly, the share of households struggling to pay loans, rent and bills jumped to 47.3% in 2023, from 29.1% in 2022. In poor households, this percentage reaches unimaginable heights, almost 80%.

In 2023 also the number of those who cannot cover emergency but necessary expenses has increasedamounting to approximately 438 euros, to 44.3% – a percentage that for poor households reaches 77.3%.

Finally, indicators of material problems associated with food securityas 10.9% of the total population (up from 10% in 2022) unable to pay food costs that include chicken, meat, fish or vegetables/fruits.

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