child looking into the camera while eating a snack.

In 2023, almost 20 million children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This figure represented 24.8% of children under the age of 18, remaining relatively stable compared with 2022, with only a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points (pp). 

At the country level, in 2023, the highest values were reported in Romania (39.0%), Spain (34.5%) and Bulgaria (33.9%). In contrast, Slovenia (10.7%), Finland (13.8%) and the Netherlands (14.3%) registered the lowest shares. 

Children at risk of poverty, 2023. Bar chart. See link to full dataset below.

Source dataset: ilc_peps01n