According to Eurostat figures released on Monday, Greece recorded the third highest percentage of population (14%) among the European Union member-states living in a state of severe material and social deprivation last year, with Romania taking first place (17.2%) and Bulgaria following in second place (16.6%).

These are the only three EU countries where the percentage of the population in that situation exceeded 10% in 2024, with the average percentage in the EU reaching 6.4% from 6.8% in 2023.

Although that slice of the population decreased significantly in 2024 in Romania and Bulgaria, it increased in Greece, as it had reached 13.5% in 2023.

On the other hand, the countries with the lowest percentages of the population in material and social deprivation in 2024 were Slovenia (1.8%), Croatia (2%), Poland (2.3%), Luxembourg (2.3%) and Cyprus (2.5%).