Nearly 167,000 people in Cyprus living near the poverty line

Approximately 167,000 people in Cyprus remained at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, according to the latest figures from the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat).

Specifically, the statistical service on Monday reported that 17.1 per cent of the population in Cyprus was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, corresponding to the figure mentioned above.

The figure reflects the ‘At Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion‘ (AROPE) indicator, which serves as the European Union’s main benchmark for monitoring progress towards its 2030 poverty reduction targets.

According to the survey, which uses 2024 as the income reference period, individuals were considered at risk if they lived in households with income below the poverty threshold, experienced severe material and social deprivation, or had very low work intensity.

The overall rate remained unchanged compared to 2024, indicating a stabilisation in poverty levels despite broader economic pressures.

However, disparities persisted, with women recording a higher risk rate of 18.7 per cent compared with 15.5 per cent for men, maintaining a less favourable position.

An analysis of the underlying components showed that the risk of poverty indicator rose slightly to 14.9 per cent in 2025, up from 14.6 per cent a year earlier.

At the same time, the share of people living in households with very low work intensity remained unchanged at 4.2 per cent, suggesting stable labour market conditions at the lower end.

Meanwhile, the rate of severe material and social deprivation declined to 2.2 per cent, down from 2.5 per cent in 2024.

These offsetting movements resulted in the overall AROPE indicator remaining steady at 17.1 per cent.

In terms of income thresholds, the at-risk-of-poverty threshold increased significantly in 2025, reaching €13,240 for single-person households and €27,803 for households with two adults and two children under 14.

This marked a 6.8 per cent rise compared to 2024, when the respective thresholds stood at €12,400 and €26,039.

At the same time, the median equivalised disposable income for a single person rose to €22,067, up from €20,667 the previous year.

Before the inclusion of pensions and social benefits, the proportion of people at risk of poverty stood at 33.6 per cent, highlighting the scale of underlying vulnerability.

When pensions were included, this rate dropped to 21.7 per cent, and fell further to 14.9 per cent after all social transfers were accounted for.

Overall, social transfers reduced the poverty rate by 18.7 percentage points, including 11.9 percentage points from pensions and 6.8 percentage points from other benefits.

How did Cyprus fare in 2024?

Comparatively, Eurostat data showed that the EU average AROPE rate stood higher at 21 per cent in 2024, placing Cyprus below the bloc average.

Age-based analysis revealed that Cyprus performed relatively well among younger populations during the reported period, with 14.8 per cent of those under 18 at risk, compared with 24.2 per cent across the EU.

Among working-age individuals, Cyprus recorded a rate of 13.8 per cent for those aged 18 to 64, also below the EU average of 20.6 per cent.

However, a contrasting picture emerged for older citizens, with 31.5 per cent of people over 64 in Cyprus at risk, significantly exceeding the EU average of 19.2 per cent.

Earlier this month, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina highlighted the urgency of tackling child poverty across the EU, noting that nearly 20 million children, or around one in four, are at risk.

“The timing is particularly important, as the first ever EU anti-poverty strategy is to be presented during our Presidency,” she said.

“Poverty experienced in the early stages of life has profound and long-lasting consequences,” she added.

“It limits opportunities, widens inequalities and reinforces the perpetuation of these phenomena from generation to generation,” she continued.

“The numbers speak for themselves. Almost 20 million children in 27 EU member states are at risk of poverty or social exclusion,” she stated.

“These are the numbers and this is our priority,” the Deputy Minister stressed..

Despite these broader concerns, Cyprus recorded the second lowest rate of child poverty in the EU at 14.8 per cent, equivalent to around 26,000 children, with only Slovenia performing better.

The highest rate was observed in Bulgaria, where 35.1 per cent of children were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

The situation in neighbouring Greece

Meanwhile, a comparison with Greece further underscored Cyprus’ relative position, as data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority showed that 27.5 per cent of the Greek population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, affecting nearly 2.8 million people.

This represented a 0.6 percentage point increase year-on-year, driven largely by rising material and social deprivation.

In Greece, deprivation rose to 14.9 per cent in 2025 from 14.0 per cent in 2024, reflecting worsening living conditions.

Children in Greece remained particularly vulnerable, with 29.6 per cent of those under 17 at risk of poverty.

The official poverty threshold in Greece stood at €7,020 for a single person and €14,742 for a family with two adults and two children, significantly lower than the corresponding thresholds in Cyprus.

As in Cyprus, social transfers played a crucial role, reducing Greece’s poverty rate from a theoretical 43.9 per cent to 19.6 per cent, a drop of 24.3 percentage points.

Income inequality also remained pronounced in Greece, where the wealthiest 20 per cent earned 5.18 times more than the poorest 20 per cent, highlighting structural disparities.

Although Cyprus has maintained a relatively stable and below-average poverty risk compared to the EU, the data points to persistent vulnerabilities, particularly among older populations, and underscores the continued importance of targeted social policies.