EMT: The fourth poorest region of the country
Over one-fifth of the population of the EU is currently at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to a new report from Eurostat on living conditions. The report also highlights significant income inequalities in the Baltic countries and Southern Europe.
According to the latest Eurostat data on living conditions, there are 94.6 million people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which represents 21.4% of the population.
These numbers show a slight improvement from 2022, when the percentage was 21.6%.
The data identifies 19 regions across the European bloc where the percentage of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion exceeds 35%, many of which are in Bulgaria, southwestern Greece, southern Spain, and southern Italy — as well as the Brussels region of Belgium and the southernmost canton of Switzerland.
The region with the highest share is French Guiana (60.3%), followed by southern Italy's Calabria (48.6%), southeastern Romania (45.3%), and another Italian region, Campania (44.4%).
What's Happening in Greece
In Greece, the highest percentages of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion were recorded in Peloponnese (35.7%), Western Greece (35.2%), Western Macedonia (32.7%), Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (31.9%), and North Aegean (30.4%). In Attica, the corresponding percentage was 22.7%.
Social Inequality
In about half of the EU countries, children represent the category with the highest percentage of individuals at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Eurostat also examined the inequality ratios regarding disposable income per capita.
Bulgaria tops the list of EU countries with the highest inequality ratio (37.2), followed by Lithuania (35.7), Latvia (34.0), Portugal (33.7), Malta (33.0), Estonia (31.8), and Greece (31.8).
However, when considering non-EU countries, the nation with the highest income inequality is Turkey (44.2).
Worse Situation in Capitals
In 2023, people living in the capitals of certain EU countries were generally less likely to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This difference was most pronounced in Romania, where the national rate was 32%, compared to only 12.3% in Bucharest.
Similarly, in Poland, the national rate was 16.3%, while in the Warsaw area it was just 8.9%. In Croatia, the national rate was 20.7%, while in Zagreb, it was 11.9%.
Source: in.gr
