Latest results from the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 2025 survey, based on 2024 income data, indicate that the at-risk-of-poverty rate in the European
Union remains broadly stable.
In 2024, an estimated 72.4 million people in the EU, representing 16.3% of the population, were considered to be at risk of poverty. This marks a marginal increase of 0.1 percentage points compared with the previous survey year, indicating no significant shift in overall poverty risk across the EU.
About EU-SILC
EU-SILC (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) is the EU’s primary source of comparable microdata on income, poverty, social exclusion, and living conditions across Member States. It is coordinated by Eurostat and implemented by national statistical institutes using harmonised methodologies to ensure comparability.
The survey collects detailed information on:
- household income (from employment, pensions, and social transfers)
- material deprivation and living conditions
- housing quality and financial strain
- social exclusion indicators
A key indicator derived from EU-SILC is the at-risk-of-poverty rate, defined as the share of people living in households with an equivalised disposable income below 60% of the national median income.
Forward-looking estimates for 2025
Because EU-SILC income data are collected with a time lag, the latest official figures reflect incomes from 2024. To provide more timely insight, Eurostat produces experimental “flash estimates” based on modelling and available short-term economic indicators.
These flash estimates for 2025 suggest that the at-risk-of-poverty rate is expected to remain broadly stable, with a slight, statistically non-significant increase to 16.4% across the EU. This points to continued stability in overall income distribution and poverty risk in the short term.
Interpretation
The findings suggest that, despite ongoing economic pressures in some Member States, the overall share of people at risk of poverty in the EU has remained largely unchanged. The stability indicated by both EU-SILC 2025 results and Eurostat’s experimental 2025 projections highlights resilience in aggregate income conditions, though national-level variations may still be significant. Photo by Frankie Fouganthin, Wikimedia commons.