Every sixth resident of the European Union barely makes ends meet
The highest proportion of financially vulnerable people relative to the total population is in Latvia and Romania, where one in four could not live without state assistance. The most prosperous country in terms of poverty risk is the Czech Republic, where only 9% of the population live exclusively on social benefits, having no savings for a rainy day.
42 million EU residents, due to modest incomes, cannot afford a range of goods and services necessary for a decent life in their specific region. For example, in Eastern European countries, they have to economize on heating in winter, forego regular consumption of meat and fish, and cannot take a week-long trip during their annual vacation. In wealthier countries, signs of a modest life are most often the absence of a washing machine, car, or color TV.
The largest number of less affluent Europeans live in Romania, where their number is 7 million, or 32% of the total population. In Germany, 4.5 million people manage 'without extras,' about 6% of the population. Sweden boasts a low level of material deprivation, where only 1.5% of the population lead a significantly more modest lifestyle than most of their fellow citizens.
It is worth noting that about 34 million Europeans voluntarily forgo higher incomes, using no more than 20% of their labor potential when they could work full time. The most advanced in this regard are residents of Germany, where 7 million people are not willing to increase the intensity of their work even if they could earn more.