Number at risk of poverty falls

Four thousand fewer people in Cyprus are classed as being at risk of poverty or social exclusion than last year, the statistical service said on Tuesday.

Its report on poverty was released to mark the international day for poverty eradication, which found that the percentage decreased from 17.3 per cent of the population in 2021 to 16.7 per cent this year.

However, that means that there are still 150,000 people facing the challenges linked to poverty.

The service added that it classifies those within this bracket as people living in households with disposable income below the poverty line and experiencing severe material and social deprivation.

Another factor is those living in households with much lower labour participation.