site.btaEurostat: Bulgaria's Severe Material and Social Deprivation Rate Halved to 18% Since 2015

Bulgaria saw a steady decrease in its severe material and social deprivation rate from 36.8% in 2015 to 18% in 2023, according to Eurostat data. In 2015, Bulgaria had the highest rate in the EU, followed by Romania (34%) and Hungary (24%).

In 2023, Bulgaria had the second highest severe material and social deprivation rate (18.0%) after Romania(19.8%). Greece had the third highest rate (13.5%), followed by Hungary (10.4%) and Spain (9.0%), Eurostat said on Monday.

Slovenia (2.0%), Cyprus (2.4%), Sweden, Luxembourg and Estonia (all at 2.5%) reported the lowest rates.

In 2023, 6.8% of the EU population faced severe material and social deprivation. The share slightly increased compared with 2022 (6.7%).