One in five children in Cyprus ‘at risk of poverty’

Almost a fifth of children in Cyprus are “at risk of poverty or social exclusion”, according to the European Union’s statistical agency Eurostat.

The figures, compiled in 2022, show that a total of 31,000 children, exactly 18.1 per cent of the country’s population under the age of 18, are currently at risk.

This represents a slight decrease of 1.1 per cent compared to 2021.

Across the EU at large, a total of 24.7 per cent of children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, up 0.3 per cent since 2021.

The highest rates of at-risk children were found in Romania, at 41.5 per cent, Bulgaria, at 33.9 per cent, and Spain, at 32.2 per cent.

The lowest rates were found in Slovenia, at 10.3 per cent, the Czech Republic, at 13.4 per cent, and Denmark, at 13.8 per cent.