94.6 million people in the EU (21.4% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, i.e. lived in households experiencing at least one of the three poverty and social exclusion risks: risk of poverty, severe material and social deprivation, and/or living in a household with very low work intensity. The figure slightly decreased compared with 2022 (95.3 million, 22% of the population).
The shares of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion varied across the EU countries in 2023. The highest values were reported in Romania (32%), Bulgaria (30%), Spain (27%) and Greece (26%). Latvia is next on the list with 25.6%.
Lithuania (24.3%) and Estonia (24.2%) both do slightly better than Latvia. Latvia's result in 2023 is very slightly better than it was in 2022 (26%).
The lowest shares of all were recorded in Czechia (12%), Slovenia (14%), Finland and Poland (both 16%).
