Nearly 25 percent of the EU population, or almost one out of every four person, was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to latest Eurostat survey.
“In 2013, 122.6 million people, or 24.5 percent of the population, in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion,” the survey showed, Eurostat said in a statement.
“This means that these people were in at least one of the following three conditions: at-risk-of-poverty after social transfers (income poverty), severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity,” the statement said.
The proportion of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU28 in 2013 (24.5%) has slightly decreased compared with 2012 (24.8%), but is higher than in 2008 (23.8%).
The reduction of the number of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU is one of the key targets of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Full text available on EUROSTAT website.
