A new Eurostat chart released for 2024 shows that 17.4% of the European Union population considered themselves to be subjectively poor—a measure based on how individuals personally feel about their financial situation, rather than strictly on income thresholds.
The report highlights significant disparities across member states. Greece recorded the highest rate, with a striking 66.8% of its population feeling subjectively poor. This places Greece far above the EU average and well ahead of other countries in the region.
Following Greece are:
• Bulgaria at 37.4%
• Slovakia at 28.7%
• Romania at 23.8%
• Latvia at 23.3%
Other major economies such as Spain (21.9%), France (21.8%), and Italy (18.7%) also recorded levels above or slightly above the EU average.
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At the lower end of the spectrum, some of the bloc’s wealthiest nations reported the smallest shares of subjective poverty:
• Germany at 7.3%
• Netherlands at 7.3%
• Luxembourg at 8.5%
• Finland at 9.0%
• Sweden at 9.9%
Norway, included for comparison despite not being an EU member, reported 9.8%.
The data, which includes provisional figures for Lithuania, underscores how differently Europeans perceive their own financial wellbeing even when living under the same economic union. The findings highlight ongoing regional disparities, inflation pressures, and differing living costs across the continent.
