100,000 Maltese at risk of poverty during 2012, EU survey says

22.2% or around 100,000 of the Maltese population were at risk of poverty and social exclusion during 2012, a recent Eurostat survey uncovered.

Up from the previous 21.4% in 2011, the record figures said that 15% of Malta's population were deemed to be at risk of income poverty after social transfers, meaning that their disposable income was below their national at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

In 2012, a quarter of the population or 125 million persons living in the EU were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Currently, the reduction of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU is one of the key targets of the Europe 2020 strategy.

Under the survey, a person is deemed to be at risk of poverty of social exclusion, if he falls under at least one of the three criteria, namely living in households with very low work intensity, severe material deprivation and risk of income poverty.

The statistics also said that 8% of the Maltese population were living in conditions constrained by a lack of resources such as not being able to pay their bills.

"Eight per cent of the Maltese population was severely deprived during the 2012, amongst which effects include the inability to keep their home adequately warm or take a week-long holiday away from home."

On the other hand, 7.9% of the population were living in households with vert low work intensity.

In 2012, the highest shares of persons being at risk of poverty or social exclusion were recorded in Bulgaria (49%), Romania (42%), Latvia (37%) and Greece (35%), and the lowest in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic (both 15%), Finland (17%), Sweden and Luxembourg (both 18%).