EU classifies 1 percent of Swedes as 'poor'
One percent of Swedes live in material poverty, according to a new annual Eurostat review that lists Sweden as having the lowest poverty level in the EU.
In Sweden and in the EU at large, it is the unemployed who are most at risk of living in what Eurostat dubs "serious material poverty". A person is considered poor if he or she does not satisfy four out of nine criteria, which include:
Not being able to cover an unforeseen expense, not being able to afford to eat meat, poultry or fish more than every other day. It also covers heating your home, having access to one week paid holiday a year, owning capital goods such as a washing machine or a car.
Sweden and Luxembourg have the EU's lowest proportion of citizens or residents living below the material poverty line - both at about 1 percent.
The EU average was 9 percent.
Bulgarians fare the worst, as 44 percent of its population are considered materially poor. Almost one in three Lithuanians also don't satisfy four of the nine material criteria outlined by Eurostat.
The EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions review is performed annually.
Across the EU, the unemployed fared the worse.
In Sweden, about 10 percent of job seekers live in material poverty, compared to the 1-percent national average.
The figure was much higher in other member states. On average, one in four of the unemployed in the EU lives in material poverty, while only one in ten of people who have found work do.
Ann Törnkvist
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In Sweden and in the EU at large, it is the unemployed who are most at risk of living in what Eurostat dubs "serious material poverty". A person is considered poor if he or she does not satisfy four out of nine criteria, which include:
Not being able to cover an unforeseen expense, not being able to afford to eat meat, poultry or fish more than every other day. It also covers heating your home, having access to one week paid holiday a year, owning capital goods such as a washing machine or a car.
Sweden and Luxembourg have the EU's lowest proportion of citizens or residents living below the material poverty line - both at about 1 percent.
The EU average was 9 percent.
Bulgarians fare the worst, as 44 percent of its population are considered materially poor. Almost one in three Lithuanians also don't satisfy four of the nine material criteria outlined by Eurostat.
The EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions review is performed annually.
Across the EU, the unemployed fared the worse.
In Sweden, about 10 percent of job seekers live in material poverty, compared to the 1-percent national average.
The figure was much higher in other member states. On average, one in four of the unemployed in the EU lives in material poverty, while only one in ten of people who have found work do.
Ann Törnkvist
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