Eurostat: “people with disabilities threatened by poverty”. Higher risk in Bulgaria, better situation in Slovakia and northern countries

“In 2019, 28.4% of the EU population with a disability (aged 16 or over) was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 18.4% of those with no activity limitation”. This is according to the latest Eurostat figures, released today. The Statistical Office of the European Union points to “significant differences in the percentage of people with a disability who were exposed to the risk of poverty or social exclusion” across EU Member States. However, for all Member States, “people with a disability were at a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion than those with none”. In 2019, the Member States that “recorded the highest proportion of people with a disability who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion were: Bulgaria (50.7%), Latvia (42.1%), Estonia (40.0%), Lithuania (39.9%) and Ireland (37.8%). In contrast, according to Eurostat, Member States “with the lowest proportion of people with a disability who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, were: Slovakia (19.2%), Denmark (20.3%), Austria (22.2%), Finland (22.5%) and France (22.9%)”.
Gianni Borsa