Cyprus has recorded a slight decrease in subjective poverty, with 18.9% of residents reporting that they struggle to make ends meet in 2024, according to the latest Eurostat data. This marks a 1.5 percentage point drop from 2023, signaling a modest improvement in citizens’ perceived living standards.

Despite the progress, Cyprus remains slightly above the EU average, which stood at 17.4% in 2024 — down from 19.1% the previous year. Eurostat defines subjective poverty as the share of people who feel financially strained or unable to cover basic needs, regardless of objective income or wealth levels.

The data reveal significant disparities across Europe: while countries such as Germany (7.3%), the Netherlands (7.3%), and Luxembourg (8.5%) report low levels of subjective poverty, much higher rates persist in Greece (66.8%), Bulgaria (37.4%), and Slovakia (28.7%).

In Cyprus and across the EU, the highest levels of subjective poverty remain among children under 18 years old (20.6%), followed by working-age adults (17.3%), and seniors aged 65+ (14.9%).

The country’s subjective poverty rate has more than halved since 2018, when nearly 46.4% of citizens considered themselves poor.

The working-age population saw the largest improvement, with a 1.8-point reduction from 2023, likely linked to lower unemployment and improved economic stability in many EU countries.

Eurostat noted that subjective poverty decreased across all EU member states in 2024, with approximately 8.7 million fewer citizens perceiving themselves as financially vulnerable compared to the previous year. The decline spans all age groups, suggesting that living conditions have improved more broadly throughout Europe.