Amid the celebratory headlines of Greece’s GDP growth and the success of its tourism sector, the 2024 European Living Conditions report cuts through the smokescreen and exposes the stark reality that Greece’s living conditions are worse than the EU average.
The report examines critical issues like material and social deprivation, the risk of poverty and social exclusion, income distribution and inequality, the ability to make ends meet and access to adquate housing.
On every front, Greece is failing in comparison to the EU average.
Key takeaways on Greece’s living conditions
In detail, Greece has one of the highest rates of severe material and social deprivation in the EU at 13.5%, significantly above the EU average of 6.8%.
This places Greece in the top three countries with the highest deprivation rates, alongside Romania and Bulgaria. The disparity highlights the challenges faced by Greek households in affording basic necessities such as adequate heating, regular meals, and leisure activities.
In 2023, the percentage of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Greece was 28.3%, compared to the EU average of 21.4%.
This indicates that more than a quarter of the Greek population is vulnerable to financial and social hardship. Despite the EU’s goal to reduce this figure, Greece’s rate remains stubbornly high.
The country has also experienced a significant decrease in real median income, down 28.4% compared to 2010. This makes Greece one of the few EU countries where real incomes have fallen over the past decade, reflecting ongoing economic struggles.
So how do poeple make ends meet? The answer is simple- they don’t. A staggering 87.6% of households report difficulty making ends meet, the highest rate in the EU. In contrast, the EU average is 45.4%, highlighting the severe economic strain facing Greek families.
And finally, the report also shows that 20% of the Greek population was unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2023, almost double the EU average of 10.6%. This reflects the ongoing issue of energy poverty, exacerbated by rising energy costs and economic conditions in Greece.
