European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population was 15.50% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Population reached a record high of 16.70% in December of 2016 and a record low of 15.30% in December of 2010.

The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union increased by *** thousand persons since the previous year. In total, the number of people at risk of poverty amounted to **** million persons in 2023. This trend was preceded by a declining number of people at risk of poverty.People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions and material deprivation is the main indicator to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion and was the headline indicator to monitor the EU 2020 Strategy poverty target.Find more key insights for the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in countries like Czechia, France, and Poland.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) collects timely and comparable multidimensional microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions.

The EU-SILC collection is a key instrument for providing information required by the European Semester (_[1]) and the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the main source of data for microsimulation purposes and flash estimates of income distribution and poverty rates.

AROPE remains crucial to monitor European social policies, especially to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion. For more information, please consult EU social indicators.

The EU-SILC instrument provides two types of data:

• Cross-sectional data pertaining to a given time or a certain time period with variables on income, poverty, social exclusion and other living conditions.
• Longitudinal data pertaining to individual-level changes over time, observed periodically over four‐or more year rotation scheme (Annex III (2) of 2019/1700).

EU-SILC collects:

• annual variables,
• three-yearly modules,
• six-yearly modules,
• ad-hoc new policy needs modules,
• optional variables.

The variables collected are grouped by topic and detailed topic and transmitted to Eurostat in four main files (D-File, H-File, R-File and P-file).

The domain ‘Income and Living Conditions’ covers the following topics: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income inequality, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions, material deprivation, and EU-SILC ad-hoc modules, which are structured into collections of indicators on specific topics.

In 2023, in addition to annual data, in EU-SILC were collected: the three yearly module on labour market and housing, the six yearly module on intergenerational transmission of advantages and disadvantages, housing difficulties, and the ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

Starting from 2021 onwards, the EU quality reports use the structure of the Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).

_{([1]) The European Semester is the European Union’s framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic and social policies.}

Portugal, Spain and Bulgaria are the countries most at risk of energy poverty in the European Union. As of 2023, over ********* of households in each country were unable to adequately heat their homes. They were followed Lithuania, where another ** percent of households struggled to keep their houses warm.

The threshold is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers). It is expressed in Purchase Parity Standards (PPS) in order to take into account differences in cost of living across EU Member States.

Historical dataset showing European Union poverty rate by year from N/A to N/A.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: From 55 to 64 years was 14.70% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: From 55 to 64 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: From 55 to 64 years reached a record high of 16.00% in December of 2018 and a record low of 13.40% in December of 2010.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate of older people was 16.60% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate of older people - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate of older people reached a record high of 17.30% in December of 2022 and a record low of 13.20% in December of 2014.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) collects timely and comparable multidimensional microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions.

The EU-SILC collection is a key instrument for providing information required by the European Semester (_[1]) and the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the main source of data for microsimulation purposes and flash estimates of income distribution and poverty rates.

AROPE remains crucial to monitor European social policies, especially to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion. For more information, please consult EU social indicators.

The EU-SILC instrument provides two types of data:

• Cross-sectional data pertaining to a given time or a certain time period with variables on income, poverty, social exclusion and other living conditions.
• Longitudinal data pertaining to individual-level changes over time, observed periodically over four‐or more year rotation scheme (Annex III (2) of 2019/1700).

EU-SILC collects:

• annual variables,
• three-yearly modules,
• six-yearly modules,
• ad-hoc new policy needs modules,
• optional variables.

The variables collected are grouped by topic and detailed topic and transmitted to Eurostat in four main files (D-File, H-File, R-File and P-file).

The domain ‘Income and Living Conditions’ covers the following topics: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income inequality, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions, material deprivation, and EU-SILC ad-hoc modules, which are structured into collections of indicators on specific topics.

In 2023, in addition to annual data, in EU-SILC were collected: the three yearly module on labour market and housing, the six yearly module on intergenerational transmission of advantages and disadvantages, housing difficulties, and the ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

Starting from 2021 onwards, the EU quality reports use the structure of the Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).

_{([1]) The European Semester is the European Union’s framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic and social policies.}

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Less than 18 years was 19.30% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Less than 18 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Less than 18 years reached a record high of 21.40% in December of 2016 and a record low of 18.70% in December of 2019.

In 2024 across the European Union, men in every examined citizenship category had lower rates of being at risk of poverty or social exclusion compared with women. The widest gender disparity was observed among non-EU citizens, with men at 41.7 percent and women at 45.8, indicating a difference of 4.1 percentage points, while the narrowest gap occurred among EU citizens residing in another EU member state, at 2.2 percentage points.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate for pensioners: Females was 16.90% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate for pensioners: Females - last updated from the EUROSTAT on December of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate for pensioners: Females reached a record high of 17.90% in December of 2022 and a record low of 13.20% in December of 2014.

The relative median at-risk-of-poverty gap is calculated as the difference between the median equivalised total net income of persons below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold and the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, expressed as a percentage of the at-risk-of-poverty threshold (cut-off point: 60% of median equivalised income). The EU aggregate is a population weighted average of individual national figures. In line with decisions of the European Council, the risk-of-poverty rate is measured relative to the situation in each country rather than applying a common threshold to all countries.

The share of persons with an equivalised disposable income, before social transfers, below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers). Retirement and survivor's pensions are counted as income before transfers and not as social transfers.

In 2024 across selected European Union countries, foreign adults were more likely to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion than nationals. In Spain, **** percent of non-EU citizens were at risk, compared to **** percent in Sweden and ** percent in Italy.

The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) collects timely and comparable multidimensional microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions.

The EU-SILC collection is a key instrument for providing information required by the European Semester (_[1]) and the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the main source of data for microsimulation purposes and flash estimates of income distribution and poverty rates.

AROPE remains crucial to monitor European social policies, especially to monitor the EU 2030 target on poverty and social exclusion. For more information, please consult EU social indicators.

The EU-SILC instrument provides two types of data:

• Cross-sectional data pertaining to a given time or a certain time period with variables on income, poverty, social exclusion and other living conditions.
• Longitudinal data pertaining to individual-level changes over time, observed periodically over four‐or more year rotation scheme (Annex III (2) of 2019/1700).

EU-SILC collects:

• annual variables,
• three-yearly modules,
• six-yearly modules,
• ad-hoc new policy needs modules,
• optional variables.

The variables collected are grouped by topic and detailed topic and transmitted to Eurostat in four main files (D-File, H-File, R-File and P-file).

The domain ‘Income and Living Conditions’ covers the following topics: persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion, income inequality, income distribution and monetary poverty, living conditions, material deprivation, and EU-SILC ad-hoc modules, which are structured into collections of indicators on specific topics.

In 2023, in addition to annual data, in EU-SILC were collected: the three yearly module on labour market and housing, the six yearly module on intergenerational transmission of advantages and disadvantages, housing difficulties, and the ad hoc subject on households energy efficiency.

Starting from 2021 onwards, the EU quality reports use the structure of the Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS).

_{([1]) The European Semester is the European Union’s framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic and social policies.}

The share of persons who are at work and have an equivalised disposable income below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income (after social transfers). The indicator is broken down by working time (full- and part-time workers).

At-risk-of-poverty rate by poverty threshold and tenure status - EU-SILC survey

The share of people unable to make ends meet - defined as not being able to afford essential goods and services which enable a decent quality of life - in Europe has fallen consistently over the past decade. This is true for both those falling below the 'at-risk-of-poverty' threhold and for those above it. People above 60 percent of median income have seen their risk fall by almost half since 2013, while those below the threshold saw their risk fall by around a third. As of 2024, around a fifth of people who are below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold could not afford essential goods and services.

European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Employed persons was 8.20% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Employed persons - last updated from the EUROSTAT on November of 2025. Historically, European Union - At Risk of Poverty rate: Employed persons reached a record high of 9.80% in December of 2016 and a record low of 8.20% in December of 2024.