People living in EU households with dependent children were more likely to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025 than those without children.
Across the EU, 22.1% of people in households with dependent children were classed as at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 19.8% of people living in households without dependent children, Eurostat informed on Wednesday.
Eurostat uses the term “at risk of poverty or social exclusion” — often shortened to AROPE — to capture people who are either at risk of poverty, severely materially and socially deprived, or living in a household with very low work intensity.
The highest AROPE rates among people living in households with dependent children were recorded in Spain at 29.9%, Romania at 29.4% and Bulgaria at 29.1%.
Wide differences across the EU
The lowest rates for people in households with dependent children were seen in Slovenia at 10.4%, the Netherlands at 11.7% and Cyprus at 12.2%, Eurostat reported.
In 16 of the EU’s 27 countries, the AROPE rate was higher for people living in households with dependent children than for those in households without dependent children.
