EU At-Risk-of-Poverty Rate by Country Shows a Growing Divide

Key Takeaways

• The average at-risk-of-poverty rate in the EU fell just 0.2 percentage points over 15 years. It fell from 16.5% in 2010 to 16.3% in 2025. The flat average conceals opposite movements across member states.
• Poland recorded the largest decline in the EU. Its rate fell from 17.6% to 13.2%. Belgium made the second-largest cut. Its rate fell from 14.6% to 10.9%.
• The Netherlands (+3.1pp) and France (+3.0pp) recorded the biggest increases. Both were below the EU average in 2010. Both now sit above it.
• France’s poverty rate rose even as its employment rate climbed. Low-paid self-employment and apprenticeships grew. Cuts to housing allowances and family benefits weakened the social transfer system.
• Czechia ranks lowest in the EU. Its rate stands at 9.6%. It has held that position throughout the period.

At-Risk-of-Poverty Rate by EU Country

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The average at-risk-of-poverty rate in the EU was 16.5% in 2010. In 2025, it stood at 16.3%. That near-zero movement is not collective progress. The average is produced by countries moving in opposite directions. Improvements in some countries’ poverty rates cancelled out the rise of poverty rates in others.

In 2010, the range of poverty rates across the EU ran from 9.0% in Czechia to 21.6% in Romania. In 2025, Czechia still sits at 9.6%. Lithuania now leads the ranking at 22.6%. The spread has grown, not closed.

France and the Netherlands Recorded the Biggest At-Risk-Of-Poverty Rises

The Netherlands (+3.1pp) and France (+3.0pp) recorded the biggest increases in the at-risk-of-poverty rate.

France’s employment rate climbed during this period. Its poverty rate climbed alongside it. The country stands out among EU economies for this pattern. Job growth did not reduce poverty risk. Low-paid work grew substantially between 2013 and 2023. Over one million apprenticeships were created during this period. Many are paid below the poverty threshold. Cuts to housing allowances and family benefits also weakened the social transfer system.

The Netherlands followed a different path to the same result. Its poverty rate fell for five consecutive years before rising again. The increase came after the government discontinued an energy allowance. The allowance had kept many low-income households above the threshold in 2022 and 2023.

Poland Made the Biggest Cut to Its At-Risk-Of-Poverty Rate

Poland cut its at-risk-of-poverty rate. It fell from 17.6% to 13.2%. No EU country improved by a larger absolute margin. EU membership drove sustained economic growth, foreign investment, and job creation following accession. Poland now ranks in the lower third of EU member states.

Belgium produced the second-largest decline. It dropped from 14.6% to 10.9%. Belgium now ranks among the four lowest in the EU.

Romania also improved. Its rate fell from 21.6% to 18.4%. This was the third-largest improvement in the EU. Romania’s rate of 18.4% remains above the EU average of 16.3%.

The EU average has not moved because two sets of countries have cancelled each other out. The direction a country took over 15 years reflects choices about redistribution, labour policy, and social transfers. Economic growth alone does not determine the outcome. France grew employment and raised poverty. Poland grew employment and cut poverty. The difference between them is what happened to wages and welfare in between.