Archive:Living conditions statistics introduced
- Latest update of text: November 2011
Eurostat data on living conditions and social protection aim to show a comprehensive picture of the social situation in the European Union (EU), covering indicators related to income, housing, material deprivation, poverty, social exclusion and social protection. The demand for statistics on living conditions and social protection received a new impetus following the introduction of the social chapter of the Amsterdam Treaty (1997) which became the driving force for EU social statistics. This was reinforced by successive European Councils that have kept the social dimension high on the political agenda. Moreover, 2010 was designated as the European year for combating poverty and social exclusion.
Eurostat collects and publishes a broad portfolio of social inclusion indicators, employment and social policy indicators. Data covering living conditions and social protection come from three main sources:
- household budget surveys (HBS);
- EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC);
- the European system of integrated social protection statistics (ESSPROS).
Information is collected through an open method of coordination, designed to encourage national governments to provide regular data concerning social protection and social inclusion/exclusion, while focusing on combating poverty and social exclusion, reforming social welfare systems, and tackling the challenges posed by demographic change (in particular, population ageing). Social risks (such as unemployment, ill health or social exclusion) or actions that are undertaken to help meet social needs can be evaluated by studying data on social protection expenditure and receipts.
The Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth put forward by the European Commission provides a growth strategy for the coming decade. A European platform against poverty will be one of the seven flagship initiatives of this strategy. The goals are to:
- ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion;
- guarantee respect for the fundamental rights of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion, and enable them to live in dignity and take an active part in society;
- mobilise support to help people integrate into the communities where they live, get training and help them to find a job and have access to social benefits.
To measure progress in meeting the Europe 2020 goals, five headline targets to be met by 2020 have been agreed and translated into national targets in each EU Member State, reflecting different situations and circumstances. One of these targets is that for the EU as a whole there will be at least 20 million fewer people in or at-risk-of-poverty and social exclusion by 2020. The integrated economic and employment guidelines, first combined in 2008, were also revised as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Guideline 10 concerns promoting social inclusion and combating poverty.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- 17 % of EU citizens were at-risk-of-poverty in 2008 - Issue number 9/2010
- Child Poverty and Well-Being in the EU - Current status and way forward, 2008
- Comparative EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions: Issues and Challenges
- European social statistics – Social protection – Expenditure and receipts
- In 2006, gross expenditure on social protection accounted for 26.9 % of GDP in the EU-27 - Statistics in focus 40/2009
- Living conditions in Europe – Statistical pocketbook
- The social situation in the European Union 2007
- 79 million EU citizens were at-risk-of-poverty in 2007, of which 32 million were also materially deprived - Statistics in focus 46/2009
Dedicated section
- Indicators
- Social inclusion
See also
All articles on living conditions and social protection