Fewer living at risk of poverty in Europe

The proportion of people living at risk of poverty has dropped in most European countries over the last five years. But a few countries counters this trend, and large gaps remain within nations. In this report we look closer at the risk of poverty across Europe.

Clara Guibourg – Newsworthy

Published On: May 20th, 2020

Fewer living at risk of poverty in Europe_62cca93c9d186.jpeg

Photo: Hugues Draelants/Flickr – CC BY-NC 2.0

Fewer living at risk of poverty in Europe

Photo: Hugues Draelants/Flickr – CC BY-NC 2.0

People are at risk of poverty when their income is significantly lower than that of the population as a whole. The European Union considers a person at risk of poverty if their disposable income is under 60 per cent of the country’s median income. It is important to note that this is a relative measure of poverty, where the threshold will vary from country to country. The risk of poverty doesn’t tell us about absolute poverty, i.e. lacking the income to meet basic needs.

Different groups in society are more exposed to the risk of poverty. For instance, almost half (48%) of unemployed people across EU member states fall into risk of poverty, according to figures from Eurostat. Single parents are also especially at risk: almost half (46%) of people in single person households with dependent children were classified as at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU in 2018.

Trends over time

Looking over time, the trend is clear: the proportion of people living at risk of poverty has decreased in almost all European countries over the last five years.

There are only six countries bucking the trend, and these are mostly wealthy countries in Northern and Western Europe, where the risk of poverty is relatively low but has increased somewhat. Luxembourg has had the greatest increase in people living at risk of poverty since 2013.

Although Eastern and Southern Europe both have some of the continent’s highest risks of poverty today, the two regions are heading in quite different directions. In Eastern Europe the risk of poverty has dropped significantly in recent years, especially in Hungary, Bulgaria and Poland. In many parts of Spain and Italy, it has increased.

Regional patterns

There are clear regional patterns to the risk of poverty in Europe. Most people are at risk in southern and eastern Europe, with the southern parts of Italy worst hit.

Three of the regions with the highest risk of poverty in Europe are found in Italy. In Campania and Sicily, more than half of the population is living at the risk of poverty, earning roughly €10,000 or less. At the other end of the scale, five of the regions with lowest risk of poverty are in Czechia, with fewer than one in 10 living at risk of poverty in Prague.

The gap between rich and poor regions, an indication of regional inequality, is considerable in many countries. The difference is biggest in Italy and Spain. Both countries have a significant north-south divide, and in Italy, over four times as many people are living at risk of poverty in southern Sicily and Campania than in the northern province of South Tyrol.

The Stats Monitor

The hundreds of regional reports that we present here were generated by the Stats Monitor , a tool we’ve developed to track and use newly released data – it currently monitors 14 different topics in Eurostat and national political polls. The Stats Monitor analyzes new data in order to spot interesting trends and outliers, so as to help journalists to find newsworthy material in them.

The chart above shows the gap between different regions of the same country. It only includes countries with regional data available for five or more NUTS 2 regions.

Methodology

This data comes from Eurostat, with data up to 2018.
Not all countries have regional data on risk of poverty, those that do not have been excluded from the report. Only regions with data from 2018 are included in this report. For example Germany and Austria only have data until 2017.

Regional reports

Here below you can find one unique report for every NUTS2 region in Europe, based on the latest available Eurostat data on the risk of poverty. We marked with a star the regional reports where we found something particularly newsworthy. The reports are primarily intended to be used as a starting point for further investigation into poverty trends in Europe.

Abruzzo: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – only small changes in Abruzzo

Agder og Rogaland: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – only small changes in Agder og Rogaland

Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki: Fewer at risk in poverty in Europe – 34 percent in East Macedonia and Thrace

★ Andalucía: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – but Andalusia has among the highest rates on the continent

Aragón: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – only small changes in Aragon

Attiki: Fewer at risk in poverty in Europe – 28 percent in Attica Department

★ Basilicata: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – but Basilicata has among the highest rates on the continent

★ Bratislavský kraj: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – and Bratislava has the lowest rate

Bucuresti-Ilfov: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – only small changes in Bucuresti-Ilfov

Budapest: Fewer at risk in poverty in Europe – 14 percent in Budapest

★ Calabria: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – but Calabria has among the highest rates on the continent

★ Campania: Fewer at risk of poverty in Europe – but Campania has the highest rate on the continent