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.

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union increased by 729 thousand persons since the previous year. In total, the number of people at risk of poverty amounted to 94.5 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.

In 2023, the percentage of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union was recorded at **** percent, showing a slight decrease from the previous year. ******************** continue to exhibit significant challenges, with ** percent and ** percent of their populations at risk, respectively. In contrast, Czechia and Slovenia maintained lower rates, at ** percent and **** percent.

Between 2010 and 2023, energy poverty in the European Union saw a net decrease, despite fluctuations. As a result of a cost-of living crisis and exceptionally high fuel prices throughout 2022, more people struggled to adequately heat their homes than they did in 2021. Bulgaria is the country most affected by energy poverty in the EU, although it was able to notable improve conditions since 2010.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of multidimensional poverty globally based on the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). On a scale from zero to one, the region received a score of ****. South Asia had the second-highest prevalence of multidimensional poverty. On the other hand, Europe & Central Asia had a score of *****.

Using a poverty metric of 2.15 U.S. dollars per day, 37 percent of the women in Sub-Saharan Africa were living in extreme poverty in 2023. This is expected to fall to one third by 2023. On the other hand, less than one percent of the population in Europe and North America as well as Australia and New Zealand were living in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, there are also many people in these regions struggling to make ends meet.

Among the OECD countries, Costa Rica had the highest share of children living in poverty, reaching 28.5 percent in 2022. Türkiye followed with a share of 22 percent of children living in poverty, while 20.5 percent of children in Spain, Chile, and the United States did the same. On the other hand, only three percent of children in Finland were living in poverty.

The variables for individuals in the 2023 Annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions are presented. The aim of the survey is to produce statistical information comparable with other European Union (EU) countries on gross and disposable household income, housing conditions, the physical and social environment of the household, access to some needs, employment, work, health status and problems and access to health care for household members over 16 years of age, and to assess the indicators of the at-risk-of-poverty rate, material deprivation and social exclusion. Statistical data are collected on household composition (and changes in households participating in previous surveys), housing conditions, household financial situation, etc. at the time of the survey, i.e. the interview. Statistics on income received and taxes paid are collected for the previous calendar year.

In 2022, the poverty rate in France reached **** percent. In recent years, poverty in France has been increasing, affecting both unemployed and working people. In fact, according to Insee, *** percent of economically active persons had a living standard inferior to the poverty rate in 2022. The increase in poverty in France Poverty in France reached its highest rate in 2018. That year, almost ** percent of the French population was living below the poverty line, which means that their income was less than 60 percent of the median income in the country. Despite a significant decrease between 2000 and 2004, when the rate went from **** percent down to **** percent, poverty has been rising in France in recent years. Studies have shown that the number of poor people increased in France, reaching approximately *** million individuals in 2022, while **** million people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2020.Poverty is affecting the youth and middle classes Poverty seems to affect mainly younger generations. In 2016, **** percent of the French aged between 18 and 29 years old were considered poor. In comparison, only *** percent of the French aged 65 and 74 years old were in the same situation. Youth unemployment in France, one of the highest in Europe, might explain this phenomenon. However, the middle class is not spared from the rise of poverty either. In 2017, **** percent of French middle-income households had difficulties making ends meet.

In Sweden, the at-risk-of-poverty rate between 2013 and 2023 was highest among citizens born outside of the EU. It usually lay between 30 and 40 percent. The rates were significantly lower for people born in the EU or in Sweden, between 15 and 20 percent and around 11 percent, respectively.

In 2023, **** percent of the residents born in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Sweden, whereas the rate for people born in Sweden was at **** percent. The rate of residents born in the EU facing social or economic risk in Sweden has steadily declined over the documented period.

Between 2012 and 2022, the at-risk-of-poverty rate among the Norwegian-born population was around ** percent, whereas it was around ** percent for the EU-born population, but dropped below ** percent for the the latter in 2022. However, after dropping in 2014 and 2017, the rate among the citizens born outside of the EU was above ** percent from 2018 to 2020, before dropping to ** percent in 2022.

In 2023, people from countries outside the European Union were most at risk of experiencing poverty or social exclusion in Spain, at **** percent. In contrast, **** percent of the Spanish population was at risk.

In 2024, **** million people in Russia lived below the poverty line, marking a considerable decrease compared to the previous year. The number of Russian residents that earned an income below the subsistence minimum was nearly ** million higher in 2000. What percentage of Russians live in poverty? Looking at annual figures, Russia’s poverty rate has declined since 2015, when it exceeded ** percent. Over ***** percent of the population of Russia lived below the national poverty line in 2024. Several other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Latvia, reported higher poverty rates. Subsistence minimum in Russia Starting from January 1, 2025, the monthly per capita subsistence minimum in Russia stood at ****** Russian rubles for the working-age population and at ****** Russian rubles on average. That figure includes the cost of essential goods, such as food products, clothing, and medicines, and services, such as utilities and transportation expenses. The subsistence minimum was lower than the average wage in Russia, which was set at ****** Russian rubles from January 1, 2025.

In 2025, Luxembourg was the country with the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world. Of the 20 listed countries, 13 are in Europe and five are in Asia, alongside the U.S. and Australia. There are no African or Latin American countries among the top 20. Correlation with high living standards While GDP is a useful indicator for measuring the size or strength of an economy, GDP per capita is much more reflective of living standards. For example, when compared to life expectancy or indices such as the Human Development Index or the World Happiness Report, there is a strong overlap - 14 of the 20 countries on this list are also ranked among the 20 happiest countries in 2024, and all 20 have "very high" HDIs. Misleading metrics? GDP per capita figures, however, can be misleading, and to paint a fuller picture of a country's living standards then one must look at multiple metrics. GDP per capita figures can be skewed by inequalities in wealth distribution, and in countries such as those in the Middle East, a relatively large share of the population lives in poverty while a smaller number live affluent lifestyles.

Finland was ranked the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report from 2025. The Nordic country scored 7.74 on a scale from 0 to 10. Two other Nordic countries, Denmark and Iceland, followed in second and third place, respectively. The World Happiness Report is a landmark survey of the state of global happiness that ranks countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. Criticism The index has received criticism from different perspectives. Some argue that it is impossible to measure general happiness in a country. Others argue that the index places too much emphasis on material well-being as well as freedom from oppression. As a result, the Happy Planet Index was introduced, which takes life expectancy, experienced well-being, inequality of outcomes, and ecological footprint into account. Here, Costa Rica was ranked as the happiest country in the world. Afghanistan is the least happy country Nevertheless, most people agree that high levels of poverty, lack of access to food and water, as well as a prevalence of conflict are factors hindering public happiness. Hence, it comes as no surprise that Afghanistan was ranked as the least happy country in the world in 2024. The South Asian country is ridden by poverty and undernourishment, and topped the Global Terrorism Index in 2024.

As of 2025, there were *** food banks in Germany. This was a decrease by one compared to the previous year. The German Tafel scheme was set up in 1993. Food bank usage ‘Tafel’ in Germany is an organization that it similar to the concept of food banks in the United States. These food banks operate at a regional level and provide food that would otherwise be destroyed to those in need either for free or at a heavily discounted price. In 2022, around two million people were using food banks in Germany, this was the highest figure since 2014. This new peak was likely due to the large increase in food prices over the past two years. Both 2022 and 2023 saw a year-on-year increase of over 12 percent. It was not just Germany that was facing higher food prices. Countries across the world have been experiencing a rise in the price of groceries. Over 10 percent of people living in Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy said that it was usually difficult for them to afford food items at the end of 2022. In France and Italy there were noticeably higher rates. Poverty When it came to the average financial wealth of adults in Europe, Switzerland, Iceland, and Denmark topped the list. Germany ranked 13th on the list, with average wealth of adults at 113,00 U.S. dollars. This average, however, does not represent the entire population, and there are people in Germany, as in every country, who struggle to finance day-to-day life. In 2024, there were around **** percent of people at risk of living in poverty. This was a slight increase compared to the previous year. In certain cities the risk of living in poverty was even higher than the national average. The city of Duisburg, which is located in western Germany, had an at risk of living in poverty rate of over ** percent. In Bremen, a city close to Hamburg, the share of those facing financial difficulties was almost ** percent.

On average, the income of seventeen year olds in the United Kingdom was higher than that children in any other age group. Between March 2024 and February 2025, children aged six had a weekly income of 4.99 British pounds, while those aged 17 had an income of 23.97 per week. Those figures include the weekly regular pocket money provided to children by parents, as well as income from chores and jobs, and other sources of money.

Children and money worldwide The average amount of pocket money of Japanese children did not exactly follow the correlation observed in this statistic about the United Kingdom. In Japan, kids had more money before they reach the age to enroll in elementary school than during their elementary school studies. There are several ways through which children can save money themselves or with the help of their parents. The most common financial instruments for children between eight and 14 years old in the United States were savings accounts and piggy banks. Child poverty Child poverty is a problem affecting a significant share of the population even in developed economies. For example, 14.4 percent of all children in Germany were at risk of poverty in 2024. Meanwhile, Romania, Montenegro, and Bulgaria were, in 2022, some of the countries with the most children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Central and Eastern Europe. The probability of children finding themselves in these situations can vary within a country depending on their socioeconomic and ethnic background, the region where they live, or whether they are being raised by a single parent or not.