Disability statistics - poverty and income inequalities

Data extracted in: November 2023.

Planned article update: December 2024.

Highlights

In 2022, 28.8 % of the EU population with a disability was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 18.3 % among people with no limitations.

In 2022, 67.1 % of the EU population with a disability would have been at risk of poverty, but after taking account of social transfers (such as benefits, allowances and pensions) the share was 20.5 %.

Number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, by type of risk, EU, 2022
(millions)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_pees01n)

This article is part of a set of articles on disability and presents various aspects of the income, social and employment situation of people with a disability (activity limitation). Income is a key measure of the economic well-being of individuals. The findings presented in this article are based on the European Union’s (EU) statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). These are based on respondents’ assessments of their limitations as well as their household’s income, social and employment situation.

In EU-SILC, disability is approximated according to the concept of global activity limitation, which is defined as a ‘limitation in activities people usually do because of health problems for at least the past six months’. This is considered to be an adequate proxy for disability, both by the scientific community and organisations representing people with disabilities. This definition is in also in line with the concept of disability as set out in the European disability strategy 2010–2020 and its successor, the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021–2030.

The financial situation of households has become a key area of concern during the cost-of-living crisis. A growing share of the EU population, and particularly those in vulnerable situations, face difficulties paying their energy bills and paying for food. The links between poverty and ill-health suggest that the cost-of-living crisis may worsen health inequalities across the EU.

Full article

At risk of poverty or social exclusion

Higher rate of being at risk of poverty or social exclusion among people with a disability

The at risk of poverty or social exclusion indicators measure the number or percentage of people who are

One of the headline indicators to monitor the European pillar of social rights (EU 2030 targets) is the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion; it is presented in this article both in its aggregated form and for its constituent parts.

Table 1: Share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion, by level of disability (activity limitation), 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_dpe010), (hlth_dpe020), (hlth_dm010) and (hlth_dpe040)

In 2022, 28.8 % of the EU population aged 16 years or over with a disability (activity limitation) was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 18.3 % of people with no disability. Similar results were observed for the at-risk-of-poverty rate (20.5 % compared with 14.5 %), severe material and social deprivation rate (10.5 % compared with 4.9 %) and the share of individuals aged less than 65 years who lived in households with very low work intensity (17.1 % compared with 5.7 %). The last of these reflects the more difficult access to the labour market faced by people with a disability.

The share of people with a disability (activity limitation) who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2022 ranged among the EU Member States from 18.8 % in Slovakia to 47.8 % in Estonia and 49.9 % in Bulgaria. As such, the share was 2.7 times as high in Bulgaria as in Slovakia.

In 2022, people with no disability were less likely to be at risk of poverty or social exclusion than those with a disability (activity limitation) in all EU Member States. In absolute terms, the difference between the shares for people with and without a disability was smallest in Greece and Italy (both 4.0 percentage points). The three widest gaps were recorded in Estonia, Lithuania and Ireland among which Estonia had the widest gap: its share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 47.8 % for people with a disability, some 28.0 percentage points higher than the 19.8 % share for people with no disability. The smallest relative differences were recorded in Greece and Italy, where the share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 1.2 times as high for people with a disability than for people without. By contrast, the largest relative difference was recorded in Ireland, where the share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 2.7 times as high for people with a disability than for people without.

People with a disability are most likely to be at risk of poverty in the Baltic Member States and Bulgaria

The at-risk-of-poverty rate among people aged 16 years or over with a disability (activity limitation) was highest in 2022 in the Baltic Member States and Bulgaria: 44.4 % in Estonia, 37.7 % in Lithuania, 37.0 % in Bulgaria and 36.0 % in Lativa. The lowest rates among people with a disability were in Denmark (15.1 %) and Slovakia (13.6 %). As such, the rate was 3.3 times as high in Estonia as in Slovakia.

With regard to the share of people at risk of poverty, the absolute gap between people with or without a disability was also relatively high in 2022 in the Baltic Member States, as well as in Croatia, all in the range of 19.5–26.5 percentage points. By contrast, Slovakia, Greece and Italy recorded at-risk-of-poverty rates that were only slightly higher for people with a disability than for those without (1.0–2.1 percentage points difference). In relative terms, the largest gaps were in Croatia, Estonia and Ireland, where people with a disability were at least 2.5 times as likely to be at risk of poverty than people with no disability. By contrast, the smallest relative differences were recorded in Greece and Italy, where the share of people at risk of poverty was 1.1 times as high for people with a disability than for people without.

People with a disability are most likely to experience severe material and social deprivation in Romania and Bulgaria

Among people aged 16 years or over with a disability, severe material and social deprivation was most common in 2022 in Romania (31.6 %) and Bulgaria (28.9 %). These two shares were notably higher than in the other EU Member States, as the next highest share was 16.3 % in Hungary. In 16 Member States, less than 10.0 % of people with a disability experienced severe material and social deprivation. The lowest shares were 3.9 % in Finland, 3.6 % in Czechia and in Luxembourg, and 3.2 % in Slovenia. As such, the share was 9.9 times as high in Romania as in Slovenia.

In 2022, all EU Member States recorded a higher share of people experiencing severe material or social deprivation among people with a disability than among those without. In absolute terms, the largest gap was in Romania, a difference of 12.1 percentage points, while double-digit differences were also recorded in Bulgaria and Hungary. In relative terms, people with a disability in the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden were 6.1 times as likely to experience severe material or social deprivation as people with no disability, a ratio that peaked in Denmark (7.3 times as high for people with a disability). By contrast, in Greece people with a disability were 1.1 times as likely to experience severe material or social deprivation as people with no disability.

People with a disability are most likely to live in a household with very low work intensity in Belgium and Ireland

The final indicator in Table 1 concerns all people aged less than 65 years and shows the share living in a household with very low work intensity. Among people with a disability, this share was highest in 2022 in Belgium (30.5 %) and Ireland (30.4 %); it was between one fifth and one quarter in Lithuania, Greece, Italy and Germany. At the other end of the range, Portugal (8.8 %), Slovenia (8.0 %), Slovakia (7.0 %), Luxembourg (6.8 %) and Romania (6.6 %) were the only EU Member States where this share was below 10.0 %. As such, the share was 4.6 times as high in Belgium as in Romania.

In 2022, all EU Member States recorded a larger share of people aged less than 65 years living in a household with very low work intensity among people with a disability than among those without. In absolute terms, the largest gaps were in Ireland (24.6 percentage points) and Belgium (23.9 percentage points), while the smallest gap was in Romania (3.4 percentage points). In relative terms, people in the Estonia with a disability were 7.5 times as likely to live in a household with very low work intensity as people with no disability. By contrast, in Portugal and Finland people with a disability were twice as likely to live in a household with very low work intensity as people with no disability.

Impact of social transfers on the at-risk-of-poverty rate

The at-risk-of-poverty rate among people with a disability is lowered greatly by social transfers

In 2022, 67.1 % of the EU population aged 16 years or over with a disability would have been at risk of poverty if social transfers (social benefits, allowances and pensions) had not taken place; this is the at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers. By contrast, slightly more than one fifth (20.5 %) of the same subpopulation was at risk of poverty after taking social transfers into account – see Figure 1.

For people with a disability, the at-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers in 2022 ranged among the EU Member States from 75.4 % in Greece to 54.7 % in Luxembourg.

In all EU Member States, for people with a disability, the at-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers in 2022 was lower than the rate before transfers. The difference in these two rates was generally large, ranging from 55.7 percentage points in Greece (75.4 % before social transfers compared with 19.7 % after social transfers) to 24.3 percentage points in Estonia (68.7 % compared with 44.4 %).

Figure 1: At-risk-of-poverty rate for persons aged 16 years or over with a disability (activity limitation), before and after social transfers, 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_dpe030) and (hlth_dpe020)

In-work poverty

People with a disability are more likely to face in-work poverty than people with no disability

Regardless of whether a disability exists or not, being in employment reduces the risk of poverty. In 2022, 8.5 % of the employed persons in the EU aged 18 years or over were at-risk-of-poverty, while the share was 15.9 % for all persons of the same age group. As such, employment reduces the risk of poverty but does not make it disappear. In-work risk of poverty. In other words, the risk of poverty among employed persons is a key indicator of labour market integration for people having a disability.

In the EU, 10.2 % of employed persons with a disability were at-risk-of-poverty in 2022, while this rate was 8.3 % among employed persons with no disability – see Figure 2.

In 2022, the highest in-work at-risk-of-poverty rate among people with a disability was observed in Romania (22.9 %), far above the next highest rate among the EU Member States, 16.9 % in Luxembourg. The lowest rates were recorded in Slovenia (4.9 %) and Finland (2.5 %).

In 24 EU Member States, the in-work at-risk-of-poverty rate was higher among people with a disability than among those without. In Finland and Bulgaria, this rate was slightly higher for people with no disability (a difference of no more than 0.7 percentage points), while in Italy there was no difference in the rates for people with or without a disability.

Figure 2: In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate for people aged 18 years or over, by level of disability (activity limitation), 2022
(%)
Source: Eurostat (hlth_dpe050)

Source data for tables and graphs

Disability statistics – poverty and income inequalities: tables and figures

Data sources and availability

EU-SILC is the source of comparative statistics on income distribution and social inclusion in the EU. It provides annual data for the EU Member States as well as most EFTA and enlargement countries on income, poverty, social exclusion and other aspects of living conditions.

The reference population for EU-SILC is limited to private households and their current members residing in the territory of the surveying country at the time of data collection. People living in collective households and institutions are generally excluded from the reference population; this constitutes a limitation for disability statistics. All household members are surveyed, but only those aged 16 years or over are interviewed.

The source is documented in more detail in this background article which provides information on the scope of the data, its legal basis, the methodology employed, as well as related concepts and definitions.

Context

Disability statistics are used in measuring the impact and effectiveness of the EU policy aimed at ensuring equal rights for persons with disabilities. Up to now, the EU has adopted several strategies aimed at improving the lives of persons with disabilities by reducing discrimination, inequalities and supporting persons with disabilities to fully enjoy their human rights, fundamental freedoms and EU rights on an equal basis with others. In light of this, the 2021-2030 EU Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities sets the EU objectives and action priorities in several areas, such as accessibility, citizens’ rights, quality of life, equal access and non-discrimination and the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. To find out more, please visit the webpage on the monitoring framework for the objectives and actions of this strategy.

To ensure sound monitoring and reporting of this topic, the European Commission is reinforcing the collection of data on the situation of persons with disabilities in areas where knowledge gaps have been identified, for example in relation to the labour market access.

The EU is also a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).