In 2024, 17.4% of the EU population considers itself poor, a decrease from 19.1% in 2023. Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania have the highest rates.

According to Eurostat data, in 2024, 17.4% of the population of the European Union considered themselves subjectively poor, an improvement compared to 19.1% in 2023. The highest rates of subjective poverty were recorded in Greece (66.8%), Bulgaria (37.4%), Slovakia (28.7%), and Romania (23.8%). In contrast, the Netherlands and Germany had the lowest rates, at 7.3%, while Luxembourg had 8.5%. By age categories, young people under 18 had the highest rate of subjective poverty (20.6%), followed by those aged 18 to 64 (17.3%) and those aged 65 and over (14.9%). All these categories recorded decreases compared to the previous year, with the most significant reduction among those aged 18-64, by 1.8 percentage points. Subjective poverty is a concept that complements traditional indicators, assessing respondents' perceptions of the financial difficulties of households, taking into account income, expenses, and health.