In2017 some 113million people in the European Union were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This is over one-fifth of the population. At just below 17percent, the share was lower in the Netherlands. Income inequality in the Netherlands is also relatively low and has been around the same level since the start of the century.
People living in a household with an income below the European poverty threshold –which is less than 60percent of the national median (equivalised) disposable income– are at risk of poverty. In 2017, the share of EU inhabitants at risk of poverty varied between 9.1percent in the Czech Republic and 23.4percent in Romania. The Netherlands has the fifth lowest at-risk-of-poverty rate: 13.2percent. This is well below the EU average of 16.9percent. Poverty thresholds are determined per country and depend on the country’s level of prosperity.
Social exclusion occurs when those members of a household who are able to work have little or no paid employment or are facing serious financial problems. According to these criteria, almost one in six people in the Netherlands are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In Romania and Bulgaria, this is the case for almost 40percent of the population.
14.1Risk of poverty or social exclusion (% of population), 2017
| Risk of poverty or social exclusion | Severe financial constraints | In households with low work intensity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | 12.2 | 3.7 | 5.5 |
| Finland | 15.7 | 2.1 | 10.7 |
| Slovakia | 16.3 | 7.0 | 5.4 |
| Netherlands | 17.0 | 2.6 | 9.5 |
| Slovenia | 17.1 | 4.6 | 6.2 |
| France | 17.1 | 4.1 | 8.1 |
| Denmark | 17.2 | 3.1 | 10.0 |
| Sweden | 17.7 | 1.1 | 8.8 |
| Austria | 18.1 | 3.7 | 8.3 |
| Germany | 19.0 | 3.4 | 8.7 |
| Malta | 19.2 | 3.3 | 6.7 |
| Poland | 19.5 | 5.9 | 5.7 |
| Belgium | 20.3 | 5.1 | 13.5 |
| Luxembourg | 21.5 | 1.2 | 6.9 |
| United Kingdom | 22.0 | 4.1 | 10.1 |
| EU | 22.4 | 6.6 | 9.5 |
| Ireland | 22.7 | 5.2 | 16.2 |
| Portugal | 23.3 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
| Estonia | 23.4 | 4.1 | 5.8 |
| Cyprus | 25.2 | 11.5 | 9.4 |
| Hungary | 25.6 | 14.5 | 6.6 |
| Croatia | 26.4 | 10.3 | 12.2 |
| Spain | 26.6 | 5.1 | 12.8 |
| Latvia | 28.2 | 11.3 | 7.8 |
| Italy | 28.9 | 10.1 | 11.8 |
| Lithuania | 29.6 | 12.4 | 9.7 |
| Greece | 34.8 | 21.1 | 15.6 |
| Romania | 35.7 | 19.7 | 6.9 |
| Bulgaria | 38.9 | 30.0 | 11.1 |
Income inequality varies greatly
In countries with relatively few incomes below the poverty line, income disparities are usually limited. The Netherlands ranks among the most egalitarian countries, together with Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Finland and Belgium. These countries score best on two different measures of income inequality: the Gini coefficient and the so-called 80/20ratio. The Gini coefficient ranges between0 and1. A value of0 means that everyone has exactly the same income, while1 means maximum inequality: one person has all the income and all the others have none. The 80/20ratio indicates the ratio between the highest and the lowest incomes (in20percent-groups).
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The Nordic EU countries have the most egalitarian societies according to both standards. Large income gaps are mainly found in Eastern and Southern Europe. The gap is largest in Bulgaria with a Gini coefficient of0.40 and a 80/20ratio of8.2, meaning incomes in the upper income group (80th percentile) are over eight times as high as in the lowest income group (20th percentile).
4 EU countries have a lower at-risk-of-poverty rate than the Netherlands
23% of Romanians are at risk of poverty
Sources
Eurostat–At-risk-of-poverty rate
Eurostat–People at risk of poverty or social exclusion
Eurostat–Severe material deprivation rate
