Almost one fifth of children in Cyprus at risk of poverty

19.2 per cent of children in Cyprus were at risk of poverty in 2021 while the risk for adults reached 16.8 percent, figures released by Eurostat on Monday showed.

Across the EU, 24.4 per cent of children were at risk of poverty compared to 21.1 per cent of adults. The EU defines ‘at-risk-of-poverty’ (AROP) as falling below 60 per cent of median income, after receiving welfare assistance.

Childhood poverty, and its resultant social exclusion, has been well-documented as a contributing factor towards poor educational outcomes, physical and mental health, crime, addiction and unemployment.

Among EU member states in 2021, the highest percentages of children at risk of poverty were recorded in Romania (41.5 per cent), Spain (33.4 per cent), Bulgaria (33.0 per cent) and Greece (32 per cent).

The lowest rates were reported in Slovenia (11 per cent), Finland (13.2 per cent), and the Czech Republic (13.3 per cent).

Children were at a higher risk of poverty compared to adults in 18 of the 27 states. The largest differences were recorded in Luxembourg (10.5 percentage points), Romania (8.7 percentage points), Spain and Austria (both 6.8 percentage points).

Adults were at higher risk of poverty compared to children in nine member states (Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Finland and Poland).