Can households in Cyprus make ends meet easily? Do they feel financial pressure? How do Cypriots live in relation to Europeans? These are some of the questions that Eurostat is trying to answer, through the special publication "Basic data on living conditions in Europe 2025", which concerns all EU member states, with 2024 as the reference year of data.
The report shows the inequalities that exist in European households. Analyzing some key figures and comparing them with other countries, it appears that in general most Cypriot households are in good condition and in some cases show advantages over households in other countries.
In general, according to the report, in 2024 17.4% of all households in the EU faced difficulty or great difficulty in making ends meet. At the other end of the range, 26% of all households were able to survive very easily or easily.
The percentage of households that make ends meet fairly or relatively easily was 56.6%. The percentage of households that faced at least some difficulty in 2024 ranged from 18.1% in Germany and 19.3% in the Netherlands to 77.2% in Bulgaria and 86.2% in Greece.
– The analysis shows that the households in Cyprus that make ends meet with some difficulty are 24.5%, quite easily 26.4%, easily 19.4% and very easily 8.9%. The largest percentage in the latter category is recorded in Sweden with 20.3%, the Netherlands with 19.5%, Austria 11%. In Greece, the percentage of those who do not have any financial difficulties is 0.8%, while the European average is 6.8%.
In the middle, purchasing power
Let's look at the section "Income Distribution and Inequality". In 2024, the average annual disposable income in the EU was 21,253 purchasing power units (PPS) per capita. The PPS shows how much a citizen in one country can buy with his disposable income, compared to a citizen in another country. The data in the report show that this unit varies significantly between EU countries. The EU's western and Nordic countries reported the highest levels, while the EU's southern, eastern and Baltic countries reported the lowest levels.
Prices ranged from 11,433 PPS per inhabitant in Slovakia (21,253 the EU average), 11,624 PPS in Hungary and 12,436 PPS in Greece. A price of up to 29 758 PPS per inhabitant is recorded in Austria and 37 781 PPS per inhabitant in Luxembourg. In Cyprus the price is 22,817 PPS, while the average in Europe of the "27" is 21,253 PPS.
Compared to 2010, median equivalised disposable income was 20.4% higher in real terms in 2024 in the EU.
Median income increased the most in Romania, by 162.2%. Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia, Hungary and the EU's 3 Baltic countries also recorded median incomes increased by more than half. In Cyprus the increase was 3% compared to 2010. In contrast, median income decreased over the same period in 3 EU countries: Greece (down 25.8%), Italy (down 2.8%) and France (down 1.7%).
Inequality rates
Let's see what happens with the Gini coefficient. It is a statistical indicator used to measure inequality, usually in terms of the distribution of income or wealth in a population. Its scale is from 0% to 100% where (0) corresponds to perfect equality (everyone has the same income) and (100) corresponds to complete inequality (one person owns all income). In 2024, the Gini rate for the EU was 29.3%.
Among EU countries, the highest income inequalities were recorded in Bulgaria (38.4%), Lithuania (35.3%) and Latvia (34.2%). Income was more evenly distributed in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia and Belgium, all of which reported Gini rates below 25.0%. In Cyprus the inequality rate is 30.1% (slightly above the European average – 29.3%), as in Luxembourg, while in Estonia and Malta it is 30.8%.
In most EU countries, the rate of severe material and social deprivation was higher for women than for men. In Slovakia and Sweden the percentages were the same for both sexes. In the Netherlands, Cyprus, Germany and Italy, the rates for men were higher than for women. In relative terms, the largest gender differences were observed in Malta and Luxembourg.
Life satisfaction
Among EU countries, Finland (7.8), Romania and Slovenia (both with 7.7) recorded the highest average scores for life satisfaction in 2024. Cyprus and Sweden follow with a score of 7.4, Germany with 7, while in Greece the score was 6.7 points.
The lowest score, by far, was in Bulgaria (6.2). A total of 13 EU countries recorded an increase in average life satisfaction between 2018 and 2024, with the largest increases in Croatia (from 6.3 to 7.2), Lithuania (6.4 to 7.2) and Bulgaria (5.4 to 6.2). Belgium, the Czech Republic and Malta recorded no change. The remaining 11 EU countries recorded a decrease in average life satisfaction, with the largest decrease in Ireland (a decrease of 0.6).
In 2024, 27.0% of people in the EU could not afford a week's holiday away from home each year. This figure ranged from 8.9% in Luxembourg to 58.6% in Romania. In regular participation in a leisure activity, 12.3% of people could not afford. This figure ranged from 2.4% in Croatia to 26.9% in Greece. A meal of meat, chicken, fish (or vegetarian equivalent) every 2 days could not afford 8.5% of people. This figure ranged from 1.2% in Cyprus to 18.7% in Bulgaria.
Marital status
In 2024, households in the EU with 1 or 2 adults mostly consisted of single adults without dependent children. This situation was also observed in 22 EU countries. In Ireland and Slovakia, households with 2 adults with children were increased, while in Cyprus, Portugal and Poland the most common household type was 2 adults without children.
Lithuania recorded the highest rates in the EU for both households of one adult without dependent children (50.5%) and households of one adult with dependent children (7.9%). The highest proportion of households with 2 adults without dependent children was 31.7% in Cyprus, while for households consisting of 2 adults with dependent children it was 28.4% in Ireland.
Gender and poverty
The risk of poverty does not only affect people living in households with low work intensity or people who are unemployed.
In 2024, 8.2% of people aged 18 and over who reported working (employed or self-employed) in the EU were at risk of poverty. This percentage was significantly lower for women (7.3%) than for men (9.0%).
Among EU countries, the highest share of people who were employed and at risk of poverty in 2024 was 13.4% in Luxembourg. In contrast, the lowest figure was 2.8% in Finland. In 22 EU countries, the share of workers at risk of poverty was higher for men than for women, with the largest gender gap in Romania (8.1 percentage points). In Germany, the rates were the same for men and women, while in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Cyprus and Luxembourg the rates were higher for women than for men.
