Poverty - Europe's hidden disease
Photo: Marco Kröner (pixelio.de)
The European Union is one of the richest parts of the world, but the latest figure show that 17% of EU citizens still live in risk of poverty. Many do not have enough money for food and clothes, or suffer from poor housing and even homelessness. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.
Poverty in Europe in 2008
The national at-risk-of poverty threshold is set at 60% of the national median income. People who earn less than those 60% are considered poor. This poverty threshold is a relative measure of poverty, and it varies greatly between member states. For 2008 it was:
- €158 per month in Romania
- €233 per month in Bulgaria
- €325 per month in Poland
- €1375 per month in Luxemburg
- €941 per month in Cyprus (Greek section)
- €833 per month in Germany
Children and the elderly
In 20 of the 27 member states, children were at greater risk poverty than the total population. In 2008, the highest child poverty rates were recorded in Romania (33%), Bulgaria (26%), Italy and Latvia (both 25%). The lowest rates were in Denmark (9%), Slovenia and Finland (both 12%).
Elderly people also faced a higher risk of poverty than the population as a whole. In 2008, in the EU 19% of the population aged 65 years and over was deemed to be at risk. The highest rates were recorded in Latvia (51%), Cyprus (49%), Estonia (39%) and Bulgaria (34%), and the lowest in Hungary (4%), Luxembourg (5%) and the Czech Republic (7%).
Material deprivation
To give a broader picture of social exclusion in the EU, the material deprivation rate can be used. This is defined as the enforced lack of at least three of nine items. In 2008, 17% of the EU's population was materially deprived according to this definition.
- 37% of the EU population could not afford a one-week annual holiday away from home.
- 10% could not afford to keep their home warm enough.
- 9% could not afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day.
- 9% could not afford a personal car.
The highest levels of material deprivation were in Bulgaria (51%) and Romania (50%), while the lowest rate was in Luxembourg (4%).
(Statistics from Eurastat News Release: Living conditions in 2008 )
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