The share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe varies not only across countries but also across capital cities and regions. Euronews Business takes a closer look at these gaps.
In 2025, 92.7 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This equals 20.9% of the total population, or almost one in five people. Risk of poverty or social exclusion rates (AROPE) vary significantly not only across European countries but also within each country, across regions.
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So, which countries and regions have the highest rates of poverty risk? How wide is the gap between capital cities and their national averages?
According to Eurostat, Bulgaria (29.0%), Greece (27.5%) and Romania (27.4%) had the highest AROPE rates in 2025. The lowest were recorded in Czechia (11.5%), Poland (15.0%) and Slovenia (15.5%).
Among the EU's four largest economies, Spain stands out with the highest rate at 25.7%, meaning more than one in four people are at risk. Germany (21.2%) and Italy (22.6%) are both above the EU average of 20.9%. France (20.8%) is just below it.
Poverty risk in capitals
The picture changes sharply when looking at capital cities. Among 24 European capitals with available data, AROPE rates range from 2.9% in Bratislava to 33.6% in Brussels. Neither Slovakia nor Belgium rank among the three highest or lowest countries overall, yet their capitals define the range.
Scope and definition of capital city and regions may differ. Some figures refer to wider regions containing the capital rather than the city.
Vienna (29.4%) and Berlin (24.4%) follow Brussels at the top. More than one in five people are also at risk in Athens (23.6%), Paris (20.9%) and Rome (20.7%).
Eastern European capitals have comparatively lower rates. Alongside Bratislava, Warsaw (7.1%) and Prague (9.1%) are both in single digits. Budapest, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Bucharest all remain below 15%.
In most countries, the capital region has a lower AROPE rate than the national average. But there are significant exceptions.
The most striking is Brussels versus Belgium: 33.6% against 16.5%, a gap of 17.1 percentage points. Vienna follows, with a gap of 10.6 points above the national average. Berlin is 3.2 points higher. In Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris the difference is marginal.
In the other direction, Slovakia's national average is 13.8 percentage points above Bratislava. Romania has the same gap, with Bucharest sitting well below the country figure.
Among the four largest EU economies, Spain's national average (25.7%) is notably higher than Madrid (19.4%), a gap of 6.3 points. In Italy the gap is smaller, just 1.9 points, but the national average is still higher than Rome.
When all regions are included, the internal gaps become larger. Italy records the widest divide at 39.7 percentage points. AROPE stands at 45.3% in Calabria while it is just 5.6% in Valle d'Aosta. In Spain, the gap between Ciudad de Melilla and País Vasco is 29 points.
Finland has the narrowest gap of just 3 points, between Helsinki-Uusimaa (15.5%) and Länsi-Suomi (18.5%). Portugal, Slovenia and Denmark also have among the smallest internal differences.
Besides economic and social conditions, the size of the country and the number of regions included in the dataset also might matter.
Four regions in Italy and three in Spain are among the 15 highest in Europe. Calabria tops the list at 45.3%, followed by two other Italian regions and Ciudad de Melilla in Spain at 43.7%.
Central and Eastern Europe dominate the lowest 15. Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia records just 2.9%, the lowest in Europe, while five Italian northern regions also feature among the least exposed.
In 2025, there were 20 regions where at least 33% of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion. These regions were concentrated in Italy, Spain and Bulgaria with four each, and Greece with three.
This group also included two predominantly urban regions in western Europe: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale in Belgium (33.6%) and Bremen in Germany (35.4%), as well as Ticino in Switzerland (33.1%).
What is ‘at risk of poverty or social exclusion’?
According to Eurostat, AROPE measures the share of people who are either at risk of poverty, severely materially and socially deprived (SMSD), or living in a household with very low work intensity. The poverty threshold is set at 60% of the national median disposable income after social transfers. SMSD refers to an enforced lack of basic and desirable items needed for an adequate life.
