Europe holiday affordability shows significant decade-long improvement

holiday affordability EU tourism economics travel accessibility European socio-economics vacation costs

The accessibility of affordable holidays in Europe has seen a significant improvement over the last decade. In 2025, 27.5% of the EU population aged 16 and older were unable to afford a one-week annual holiday away from home, compared to 35.2% in 2015—a decrease of 7.7 percentage points.

However, economic disparities remain stark across the continent. Romania reported the highest rate of individuals unable to afford vacations at 61%, followed by Montenegro (58%), Albania (53%), and Turkey (51%). Conversely, Switzerland and Norway recorded the lowest rates at 9%.

While the general trend shows improved affordability, five countries saw an increase in the proportion of people unable to afford holidays over the past ten years: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Austria. In Germany, the rate rose by 1.2 percentage points, while Austria saw a marginal increase of 0.3 points.

Entities

European Union · Germany · Norway · Romania · Switzerland

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] Switzerland and Norway reported the lowest rate of people unable to afford holidays at 9% in 2025. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The percentage of people unable to afford vacations increased in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Austria over the last decade. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] In 2025, 27.5% of the EU population aged 16 or older could not afford a one-week annual holiday away from home. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The percentage of people unable to afford holidays in Germany increased by 1.2 percentage points over the decade. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] In 2025, Romania had the highest proportion of people unable to afford a holiday at 61%. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The proportion of EU citizens unable to afford a holiday decreased from 35.2% in 2015 to 27.5% in 2025. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The percentage of people unable to afford holidays in Austria increased by 0.3 percentage points over the decade. es.euronews.com · gr.euronews.com · pt.euronews.com

Sources

Kto si môže dovoliť dovolenku v EÚ? Pozrite si rebríček dostupnosti od Rumunska po Švajčiarsko [news.refresher.sk]

8 days ago

من رومانيا إلى سويسرا. . تفاوت واسع في قدرة الأوروبيين على تحمّل تكاليف العطلات [arabic.euronews.com]

9 days ago

Vacaciones asequibles en Europa, dónde puede la gente permitirse un descanso [es.euronews.com]

9 days ago

Προσιτές διακοπές στην Ευρώπη: πού αντέχουν οικονομικά οι πολίτες; [gr.euronews.com]

9 days ago

Europa: onde é que as pessoas conseguem pagar férias? [pt.euronews.com]

9 days ago