Over 17% of Romanians faced severe material deprivation in 2024, Eurostat says

More than 17% of Romania’s population faced severe material and social deprivation last year, which was one of the highest shares in the EU, according to the statistical bureau of the European Union - Eurostat.

In 2024, 6.4% of people in the European Union faced severe material and social deprivation, a slight decrease compared to 2023 (6.8%). The most affected category was young people under 18, with a European average of 7.9%, followed by those aged 18-64 (6.4%) and those over 65 (5.1%), the report shows.

Women had higher rates of severe material and social deprivation than men (6.6% compared with 6.2%). This pattern of higher rates for women was consistent across all observed age groups, except for those under the age of 18.

Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece are the EU countries with the highest shares of population facing severe material and social deprivation, with 17.2%, 16.6%, and 14% respectively, according to Eurostat.

At the opposite end, the lowest percentages are in Slovenia (1.8%), Croatia (2%), and Poland (2.3%).

(Photo source: Eurostat.com)