Risk of poverty or social exclusion down in 2021

The number of people in Cyprus at risk of falling below the poverty line fell by 2,000 to 154,000 in 2021 compared to 156,000 in 2020, according to the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) on Monday.

On the occasion of the international day for the eradication of poverty, Cystat published an infographic on “Poverty or Social Exclusion, 2021”.

In Cyprus, according to the data, the percentage of the population living in households with disposable income below the poverty line (€10,011 per person equivalent) or living in households with severe material and social deprivation or with a very low labour intensity index, reached 17.3 per cent in 2021 compared to 17.6 per cent in 2020.

The monetary poverty line for households with two adults and two dependent children was €21,024.

According to the data, women remained the more vulnerable group – with 18.7 per cent of the population at risk of poverty or social exclusion being women, compared to men at 15.8 per cent.

By age group, 19.2 per cent of the population was in the 0 – 17 age group, 16.1 per cent between 18 – 64 and 20 per cent were 65 and over.

The data showed that for those aged 18 and over, 8.4 per cent were employed, 51.6 per cent were unemployed and 20.5 per cent were retired.

The average equivalent disposable income per person was €19,649 in 2021, an increase of 1.1 per cent compared to 2020.