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About 26,000 children in Cyprus were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, accounting for 14.8% of the country’s child population, according to figures released Tuesday by Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical agency.
That marks a drop of 3,000 children compared to 2023, placing Cyprus second among EU member states with the lowest percentage of children at risk.
Across the EU, 24.2% of children under 18, roughly 19.5 million, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024. That’s down from 24.8% in 2023, a decrease of 0.6 percentage points.
Cyprus saw a steeper decline of 1.9 percentage points over the same period, falling from 16.7% in 2023 to 14.8% in 2024, a decrease from 29,000 to 26,000 children in absolute terms.
Slovenia had the lowest rate in the EU at 11.8%, followed by Cyprus and the Czech Republic, which reported a rate of 15.4%.
Bulgaria (35.1%), Spain (34.6%), and Romania (33.8%) reported the highest percentages of children at risk.
The largest year-over-year decreases were recorded in Romania (down 5.2 percentage points), Ireland (down 3.7 points), and Hungary (down 3.3 points). The biggest increases were seen in Finland (up 3.5 points), Croatia (up 2.0 points), and both Bulgaria and Belgium (each up 1.2 points).
