Compared to 2023, there was a slight decrease of 0.3 percentage points (21.3 per cent of the population, 94.6 million people) in the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

In 2024, 21% of the EU population lived in households with at least one of three risks of poverty and social exclusion: risk of poverty, severe material and social deprivation and living in a household with very low labour intensity.

The percentages of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion vary between EU countries in 2024, with Portugal registering 19.7 per cent (2.095 million).

The highest figures were recorded in Bulgaria (30.3 per cent), Romania (27.9 per cent), Greece (26.9 per cent), Spain and Lithuania (both 25.8 per cent).

On the other hand, the lowest percentages were seen in the Czech Republic (11.3 per cent), Slovenia (14.4 per cent), the Netherlands (15.4 per cent), Poland (16.0 per cent) and Ireland (16.7 per cent).