The latest Eurostat data on the products and services people can afford to buy tells a story of two Europes.
Around 27.5 million European Union citizens live in conditions of severe deprivation, whether social or material. Material and social deprivation refers to the inability to afford some goods or services, which are considered desirable or even necessary to lead an adequate life.
The highest rates were found in Eastern Europe, with Romania coming first. Here, 17.2% of people struggle to make ends meet.
It is followed by Bulgaria (16.5%) and Greece (14%). These three countries also topped last year’s chart.
However, Romania and Bulgaria have reported substantial improvement since last year, according to Eurostat data.
Romania brought down the rate by 2.6%, while Bulgaria reduced it by 1.5%.
At the same time, the portion of people struggling to make ends meet rose by 0.9% in Finland, by 0.6% in Estonia and Slovakia and by 0.5% in Sweden and Greece.
At the other extremity are Slovenia (1.8%), Croatia (2.0%), Poland and Luxembourg (both at 2.3%) and Cyprus (2.5%), which recorded the lowest rates.
Most regions in the Nordic countries reported rates below 5.0%.
What does it mean to live in social and material deprivation?
Living in material and social deprivation doesn’t exactly equal poverty, but it does draw a similar picture.
According to Eurostat, people in this category can’t afford basic day-to-day life amenities, for example, a one-week holiday a year, an internet connection, eating a meat or fish meal every second day, or going out for drinks once a month.
It also means having a lower comfort level, for example, not being able to face unexpected expenses, or to replace worn-out clothing and furniture or being able to keep their house warm enough.
What’s the deprivation picture, region by region?
At a regional level, the figures are more striking.
The Greek Ionian islands have a rate of 28%, south-east Romania over 26% and Italy’s Calabria nearly 25%. This means around a quarter of all citizens cannot afford to buy items or services considered necessary for a decent life.
Italy, in fact, reports the largest disparity in the EU between its richest and the poorest areas, namely 24.8 percentage points.
Major gaps have also been recorded in Greece and Romania: 20.3 percentage points and 16 percentage points, respectively.
Where are the highest deprivation rates in western Europe?
Meanwhile, in France, the regions with the highest deprivation rates are all overseas territories: Guyana (19.8 percentage points), and Guadeloupe and La Réunion, both with 12.9 percentage points.
Calabria aside, the highest rate overall in western Europe was reported in Brussels (13.6%), followed by another Belgian territory, namely the province of Hainaut (13.2%).
From a demographic point of view, the most severely affected group are men under the age of 18. A total of 8.1% of underage men across the bloc live in severe social and material deprivation.
Pensioners and those aged over 65 in general seem to be the least at risk (5.1%).
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