Over 21 per cent at risk of poverty – survey

Over 21 per cent of the population in Cyprus, corresponding to 188,000 people, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2019, according to a Cystat survey.

In more detail, 21.3 per cent of the population in 2019 was living in households whose disposable income was below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold or was living in severely materially deprived households or was living in households with very low work intensity.

The figure, however, represents an improvement compared to 2018, when the percentage stood at 22.3 per cent, and even more so compared to 2015, when 28.9 per cent of Cypriots – the highest share ever recorded – were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

The same survey revealed that in 2020 the at-risk-of-poverty (but not social exclusion) threshold increased to €10,022 for single person households compared to €9,729 which was in 2019 and to €21,047 for households with two adults and two dependent children compared to €20,431 in 2019.

Moreover, the percentage of the population that was severely materially deprived, meaning that they could not afford, for example, to pay their rent or utility bills or their loans, or keep their home adequately warm in winter, or face unexpected but necessary expenses, decreased in 2020 to 8.3 per cent in comparison to 9.1 per cent in 2019.

Finally, the mean annual disposable income of the household for 2020, with income reference period the year 2019, was €33.862, exhibiting an increase of 0.8 per cent in respect to that of the previous year, which was €33.584.