One Fifth of People in the EU Were at Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion

In 2023, there were around 94.6 million people in the EU at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which was equivalent to 21.4 % of the total population. The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, which may be abbreviated as "AROPE", corresponds to the sum of people who are (i) at risk of poverty (as indicated by their disposable income); and/or (ii) face severe material and social deprivation (as gauged by their ability to afford a set of predefined material items or social activities); and/or (iii) live in a household with very low work intensity.

Among the 94.6 million inhabitants within the EU that faced the risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023, some 5.5 million lived in households experiencing simultaneously all three poverty and social exclusion risks. There were 11.2 million people in the EU living both at risk of poverty and in a household with very low work intensity (but not severely materially and socially deprived); 8.9 million were at risk of poverty and at the same time severely materially and socially deprived (but not in a household with very low work intensity); almost 2.0 million lived in households with very low work intensity while experiencing severe material deprivation (but were not at risk of poverty).