The latest Eurostat data on workers’ living conditions show that 8.2% of employed people aged 18 and over in the EU were at risk of poverty in 2024.

According to the figures, the share of employed people at risk of poverty was lower among women (7.3%) than men (9.0%). However, the gender gap varies significantly between countries.

In 22 out of the 27 EU Member States, men were more likely to be at risk of poverty than women. The largest gap was recorded in Romania, where the rate among men was 8.1 percentage points higher than that of women.

In some countries — such as Germany — the rates were the same for both genders, while in Czechia, Latvia, Cyprus, and Luxembourg, the poverty risk was higher for women.

In Cyprus, the overall share of workers at risk of poverty stood at 6.9%, below the EU average of 8.2%.

However, Cyprus is among the few countries where the poverty risk among women (7.4%) exceeds that of men (6.4%), marking a gender gap of 1 percentage point.

Across the EU, the highest rate of working people at risk of poverty was recorded in Luxembourg (13.4%), while the lowest was observed in Finland (2.8%).

The data highlight that poverty is not limited to the unemployed or low-work-intensity households, but also affects a significant share of employed individuals — underlining the ongoing challenge of in-work poverty in Europe.