According to the criteria of the statistical agency Eurostat, this group includes individuals who cannot afford at least four out of nine goods of modern man: unexpected expenses, an annual week-long holiday away from home, meals (including regular consumption of meat, poultry, fish or vegetarian equivalents), adequate heating of the home, ability to pay bills on time, and also (each as a separate item) a telephone, a television, a car, and a refrigerator.
Apparently, it was these last four items that played a decisive role in the fight against poverty in a united Europe, and this is most noticeable in the example of countries that joined the European Union in the past decade. Thus, in 10 post-socialist countries, as well as in Cyprus and Malta, the poverty rate fell more than one and a half times – from 27% in 2006 to 16% in 2014. In Poland, this figure fell almost three times, in Latvia and Lithuania – twice. In the Czech Republic and Estonia, it even fell below that of most Western European countries.
According to the publication 'Russkaya Germaniya', in Germany, 5% of the population cannot afford the minimum set of material goods, which in absolute numbers amounts to 3.9 million people. This, however, is the third highest figure in the European Union, higher only in Italy – 6.9 million, and Romania – 4.8 million.
In recent years, poverty levels have fallen in the vast majority of European countries except for Greece, Spain, and Portugal. In the Netherlands and Luxembourg, it has remained virtually unchanged, staying at a relatively low level. The only country that has almost completely eradicated poverty is Sweden, where this figure has fallen below one percent – to the level of statistical error. Given the country's social policy, material deprivation in Sweden is rather a conscious choice and does not at all mean a difficult life.