European Union reports 20.9% of population at risk of poverty

In 2025, approximately 92.7 million people in the European Union—representing 20.9% of the total population—were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to Eurostat data. This figure includes individuals meeting at least one of three criteria: income below the national poverty threshold after social transfers, living in conditions of severe material and social deprivation, or living in a household with very low work intensity.

Regional disparities are significant across the EU. In 24 regions, the risk rate exceeded 31.5%. The highest concentration was found in French Guiana at 54.8%, followed by Calabria (45.3%) and Sicily (44.0%) in Italy, as well as Réunion (42.3%) and Melilla (43.7%). High risk levels were also noted in parts of Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.

Conversely, 24 regions reported risk levels below 13.0%, including several capital regions in Eastern Europe such as Bratislava, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, and Zagreb, alongside parts of Northern Italy, Czechia, and Belgium. On a national level, Bulgaria recorded the highest risk at 29.0%, while Czechia recorded the lowest at 11.5%. Luxembourg reported a rate of 18.4%, which sits below the EU average.