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20 Poorest Countries in Europe
Hamna Asim
13 min read

In This Article:

In this article, we discuss the 20 poorest countries in Europe. If you want to see the top poorest countries in this region, check out 5 Poorest Countries in Europe.

As per Eurostat’s findings, approximately 21.7% of the population in the European Union (EU), amounting to about 95.4 million people, faced the risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2021. The findings showed that women, young adults, individuals with limited educational qualifications, and, more specifically, unemployed people were at a greater risk of poverty or social exclusion. In the European Union, although the probability of employed people facing poverty or social exclusion stood at 11.1%, and that of retired persons was 18.6%, for unemployed and other idle individuals, the risk of poverty or social exclusion stood at 64.5% and 42.3%, respectively. Among the nations within the EU, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece exhibited the highest percentages of individuals identified as facing the risk of poverty. Eurostat reported that families with dependent children were more likely to face the threat of poverty or social exclusion at 22.5%, compared to families without dependents at 20.9%.

According to Euronews, compared to the general population, there is a greater risk of young Europeans falling victim to poverty. In 2021, data indicated that 20% of individuals in the age group of 15 to 29 faced a risk of poverty. Moreover, the overall at-risk-of-poverty rate for the entire population of the EU was recorded at 17%. In terms of the disparity between at-risk young individuals and the general population, Denmark exhibited the most significant divide, with 25.6% of young people facing risks compared to 12.3% of the overall population. Sweden followed closely behind Denmark, with a margin of nearly nine percentage points. Eurostat explained this indicator in the following words:

“It doesn't necessarily imply a low standard of living, and measures the share of people that have disposable income below the poverty threshold.”

A World Economic Forum report noted that approximately 7% of the population in the European Union faced difficulties in maintaining adequate heating in their homes during the year 2021. This was because Europe faced an energy shortage which resulted in an increase in heating bills. Fuel poverty had the most impact on Bulgaria, with Lithuania and Cyprus closely trailing behind. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, one in three individuals faced the risk of encountering energy poverty during the winter season.

Moreover, Save the Children reported that in 2021, the European Union nations saw an increase of over 200,000 in the number of children on the verge of poverty, pushing the overall number of children likely to face poverty to more than 19.6 million. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, high cost of living, and the climate crisis caused the number of families and children facing poverty to escalate at an unnerving pace. According to the AROPE (At Risk of Poverty and/or Exclusion) indicator, Spain and Romania emerged as the nations with the most elevated proportions, 33.4% and 41.5% respectively, of children at risk of experiencing poverty or social exclusion. During 2022, Romania witnessed a remarkable surge of 98% in expenses. However, 40% of households faced a decline in income, compelling them to adopt substantial cost-cutting measures. The report highlighted that the most vulnerable children in this situation were asylum-seekers, those with migrant backgrounds, and undocumented children.

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