More than one in four EU citizens couldn’t afford a one-week holiday in 2024, according to fresh Eurostat data, with Cyprus among the ten worst-affected countries. The share of Cypriots aged 16 and over unable to financially support such a vacation reached 33.2%, mirroring similar levels in Slovakia and Lithuania.

Across the EU, the average stands at 27%, a modest improvement from 28.5% in 2023 and a significant drop from 37.6% in 2014. Despite this decade-long positive trend, stark disparities persist between northern and southern member states.

Romania recorded the highest rate of “holiday exclusion” at 58.6%, followed by Greece (46%) and Bulgaria (41.4%). In contrast, only 8.9% of people in Luxembourg, 11.6% in Sweden, and 13% in the Netherlands reported the same financial inability—highlighting ongoing inequalities within the bloc.

Interestingly, the high rate of financial hardship in Cyprus does not appear to have significantly curbed outbound travel. According to national statistics, Cypriot residents made 143,296 trips abroad in May 2025, down only slightly from 144,042 in the same month of 2024—a 0.5% decrease. However, overall outbound travel for the year remains higher than the previous year.

Greece remains the top destination, accounting for 28.3% of returns, followed by the United Kingdom (8.1%) and Italy (7.1%).

Most trips—81.2%—were for leisure, although this represents a 2.5% drop compared to last year. Visits to friends and family made up 11.1% of trips, while 7.6% were business-related.