Who cannot pay an unexpected expense in the EU
Topic: Living conditions
In Greece, 50.5% of people live in a household that could not pay an unexpected expense from its own resources, against 15.3% in the Netherlands.
In 2025, 29.2% of people in the EU lived in a household that could not pay an unexpected, required expense from its own resources. The amount is one twelfth of the country's yearly at-risk-of-poverty threshold for a single person. Households say this themselves in a survey.
- Figures for:
- 2025.
- Covers:
- the time of the survey.
- New data:
- once a year.
- Dataset updated:
- 20 October 2026.
Published 6 November 2026
The ranking
In 2025, the share of people whose household could not pay an unexpected expense from its own resources ranged from 15.3% in the Netherlands to 50.5% in Greece.
Share of people whose household could not pay an unexpected expense from its own resources, %
2025Below and above the at-risk-of-poverty threshold
Among people above the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, the spread across countries was narrower. The Netherlands was again the lowest, at 10.9%, and Greece again the highest, at 38.6%. The gap was 27.7 percentage points.
Among people at risk of poverty, the spread across countries was much wider than among people above the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. Greece was again the highest, at 99.9%, and Malta the lowest, at 37.7%. The gap between Greece and Malta was 62.2 percentage points.
Share of people whose household could not pay an unexpected expense from its own resources: above the threshold and at risk of poverty, %
2025| Everyone | Above the threshold | At risk of poverty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest | 15.3%the Netherlands | 10.9%the Netherlands | 37.7%Malta |
| Highest | 50.5%Greece | 38.6%Greece | 99.9%Greece |
| Highest − lowest | 35.2 pp | 27.7 pp | 62.2 pp |
Household types
In 2025, 53.7% of people in single-parent households in the EU could not pay an unexpected expense from their own resources, against 21.9% of people in households of two adults without dependent children.
Share of people whose household could not pay an unexpected expense from its own resources, by household type, %
2025| everyone | alone, under 65 | alone, 65+ | single parent | 2 adults, 3+ children | 2 adults, no children | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU, | everyone: 29.2 %, | alone, under 65: 38.5 %, | alone, 65+: 34.5 %, | single parent: 53.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 38.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 21.9 %, | |
| Rank 1: | Greece, | everyone: 50.5 %, | alone, under 65: 58.2 %, | alone, 65+: 66.4 %, | single parent: 76.3 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 58.9 %, | 2 adults, no children: 45.3 %, |
| Rank 2: | Latvia, | everyone: 43.7 %, | alone, under 65: 49.4 %, | alone, 65+: 65.2 %, | single parent: 57.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 41.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 41.9 %, |
| Rank 3: | Bulgaria, | everyone: 42.4 %, | alone, under 65: 45.4 %, | alone, 65+: 65.9 %, | single parent: 60.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 60.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 42.7 %, |
| Rank 4: | Lithuania, | everyone: 41.1 %, | alone, under 65: 44.6 %, | alone, 65+: 59.1 %, | single parent: 49.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 44.4 %, | 2 adults, no children: 41.9 %, |
| Rank 5: | Romania, | everyone: 37.8 %, | alone, under 65: 47.1 %, | alone, 65+: 66.2 %, | single parent: 57.9 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 56.9 %, | 2 adults, no children: 33.0 %, |
| Rank 6: | Spain, | everyone: 36.4 %, | alone, under 65: 43.1 %, | alone, 65+: 34.3 %, | single parent: 56.3 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 50.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 28.9 %, |
| Rank 7: | Estonia, | everyone: 36.0 %, | alone, under 65: 42.1 %, | alone, 65+: 48.7 %, | single parent: 62.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 39.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 28.6 %, |
| Rank 8: | Cyprus, | everyone: 32.0 %, | alone, under 65: 35.1 %, | alone, 65+: 36.5 %, | single parent: 59.3 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 36.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 29.4 %, |
| Rank 9: | Germany, | everyone: 31.9 %, | alone, under 65: 44.7 %, | alone, 65+: 31.5 %, | single parent: 58.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 42.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 23.0 %, |
| Rank 10: | Croatia, | everyone: 31.2 %, | alone, under 65: 39.1 %, | alone, 65+: 63.2 %, | single parent: 39.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 40.7 %, |
| Rank 11: | Ireland, | everyone: 30.6 %, | alone, under 65: 37.2 %, | alone, 65+: 33.9 %, | single parent: 76.2 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 34.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 20.9 %, |
| Rank 12: | Hungary, | everyone: 30.5 %, | alone, under 65: 33.1 %, | alone, 65+: 41.5 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 35.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 24.5 %, |
| Rank 13: | Portugal, | everyone: 29.2 %, | alone, under 65: 37.5 %, | alone, 65+: 39.7 %, | single parent: 54.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 31.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 27.0 %, |
| Rank 14: | France, | everyone: 28.8 %, | alone, under 65: 35.0 %, | alone, 65+: 26.0 %, | single parent: 58.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 42.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 17.0 %, |
| Rank 15: | Finland, | everyone: 28.0 %, | alone, under 65: 48.4 %, | alone, 65+: 26.4 %, | single parent: 55.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 33.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 16.4 %, |
| Rank 16: | Slovakia, | everyone: 26.0 %, | alone, under 65: 27.8 %, | alone, 65+: 48.3 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 27.9 %, |
| Rank 17: | Italy, | everyone: 25.6 %, | alone, under 65: 32.3 %, | alone, 65+: 34.2 %, | single parent: 42.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 36.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 20.7 %, |
| Rank 18: | Slovenia, | everyone: 23.9 %, | alone, under 65: 37.9 %, | alone, 65+: 46.2 %, | single parent: 50.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 19.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 23.3 %, |
| Rank 19: | Sweden, | everyone: 23.0 %, | alone, under 65: 34.8 %, | alone, 65+: 17.7 %, | single parent: 46.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 28.8 %, | 2 adults, no children: 13.6 %, |
| Rank 20: | Poland, | everyone: 22.5 %, | alone, under 65: 27.9 %, | alone, 65+: 46.2 %, | single parent: 48.8 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 26.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 21.1 %, |
| Rank 21: | Belgium, | everyone: 22.1 %, | alone, under 65: 34.4 %, | alone, 65+: 20.5 %, | single parent: 49.1 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 11.5 %, |
| Rank 22: | Luxembourg, | everyone: 21.8 %, | alone, under 65: 29.7 %, | alone, 65+: 11.6 %, | single parent: 40.8 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 29.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 13.7 %, |
| Rank 23: | Austria, | everyone: 20.9 %, | alone, under 65: 31.2 %, | alone, 65+: 24.5 %, | single parent: 44.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 24.2 %, | 2 adults, no children: 12.0 %, |
| Rank 24: | Denmark, | everyone: 20.1 %, | alone, under 65: 35.4 %, | alone, 65+: 18.1 %, | single parent: 42.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 27.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 14.5 %, |
| Rank 25: | Czechia, | everyone: 18.7 %, | alone, under 65: 23.2 %, | alone, 65+: 25.7 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 12.4 %, |
| Rank 25: | Malta, | everyone: 18.7 %, | alone, under 65: 32.2 %, | alone, 65+: 21.1 %, | single parent: 44.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 23.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 14.6 %, |
| Rank 27: | Netherlands, | everyone: 15.3 %, | alone, under 65: 30.0 %, | alone, 65+: 16.5 %, | single parent: 37.9 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 14.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 9.2 %, |
| everyone | alone, under 65 | alone, 65+ | single parent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU, | everyone: 29.2 %, | alone, under 65: 38.5 %, | alone, 65+: 34.5 %, | single parent: 53.7 %, | |
| Rank 1: | Greece, | everyone: 50.5 %, | alone, under 65: 58.2 %, | alone, 65+: 66.4 %, | single parent: 76.3 %, |
| Rank 2: | Latvia, | everyone: 43.7 %, | alone, under 65: 49.4 %, | alone, 65+: 65.2 %, | single parent: 57.7 %, |
| Rank 3: | Bulgaria, | everyone: 42.4 %, | alone, under 65: 45.4 %, | alone, 65+: 65.9 %, | single parent: 60.0 %, |
| Rank 4: | Lithuania, | everyone: 41.1 %, | alone, under 65: 44.6 %, | alone, 65+: 59.1 %, | single parent: 49.7 %, |
| Rank 5: | Romania, | everyone: 37.8 %, | alone, under 65: 47.1 %, | alone, 65+: 66.2 %, | single parent: 57.9 %, |
| Rank 6: | Spain, | everyone: 36.4 %, | alone, under 65: 43.1 %, | alone, 65+: 34.3 %, | single parent: 56.3 %, |
| Rank 7: | Estonia, | everyone: 36.0 %, | alone, under 65: 42.1 %, | alone, 65+: 48.7 %, | single parent: 62.7 %, |
| Rank 8: | Cyprus, | everyone: 32.0 %, | alone, under 65: 35.1 %, | alone, 65+: 36.5 %, | single parent: 59.3 %, |
| Rank 9: | Germany, | everyone: 31.9 %, | alone, under 65: 44.7 %, | alone, 65+: 31.5 %, | single parent: 58.5 %, |
| Rank 10: | Croatia, | everyone: 31.2 %, | alone, under 65: 39.1 %, | alone, 65+: 63.2 %, | single parent: 39.5 %, |
| Rank 11: | Ireland, | everyone: 30.6 %, | alone, under 65: 37.2 %, | alone, 65+: 33.9 %, | single parent: 76.2 %, |
| Rank 12: | Hungary, | everyone: 30.5 %, | alone, under 65: 33.1 %, | alone, 65+: 41.5 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, |
| Rank 13: | Portugal, | everyone: 29.2 %, | alone, under 65: 37.5 %, | alone, 65+: 39.7 %, | single parent: 54.6 %, |
| Rank 14: | France, | everyone: 28.8 %, | alone, under 65: 35.0 %, | alone, 65+: 26.0 %, | single parent: 58.5 %, |
| Rank 15: | Finland, | everyone: 28.0 %, | alone, under 65: 48.4 %, | alone, 65+: 26.4 %, | single parent: 55.0 %, |
| Rank 16: | Slovakia, | everyone: 26.0 %, | alone, under 65: 27.8 %, | alone, 65+: 48.3 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, |
| Rank 17: | Italy, | everyone: 25.6 %, | alone, under 65: 32.3 %, | alone, 65+: 34.2 %, | single parent: 42.5 %, |
| Rank 18: | Slovenia, | everyone: 23.9 %, | alone, under 65: 37.9 %, | alone, 65+: 46.2 %, | single parent: 50.7 %, |
| Rank 19: | Sweden, | everyone: 23.0 %, | alone, under 65: 34.8 %, | alone, 65+: 17.7 %, | single parent: 46.6 %, |
| Rank 20: | Poland, | everyone: 22.5 %, | alone, under 65: 27.9 %, | alone, 65+: 46.2 %, | single parent: 48.8 %, |
| Rank 21: | Belgium, | everyone: 22.1 %, | alone, under 65: 34.4 %, | alone, 65+: 20.5 %, | single parent: 49.1 %, |
| Rank 22: | Luxembourg, | everyone: 21.8 %, | alone, under 65: 29.7 %, | alone, 65+: 11.6 %, | single parent: 40.8 %, |
| Rank 23: | Austria, | everyone: 20.9 %, | alone, under 65: 31.2 %, | alone, 65+: 24.5 %, | single parent: 44.7 %, |
| Rank 24: | Denmark, | everyone: 20.1 %, | alone, under 65: 35.4 %, | alone, 65+: 18.1 %, | single parent: 42.7 %, |
| Rank 25: | Czechia, | everyone: 18.7 %, | alone, under 65: 23.2 %, | alone, 65+: 25.7 %, | single parent: 47.6 %, |
| Rank 25: | Malta, | everyone: 18.7 %, | alone, under 65: 32.2 %, | alone, 65+: 21.1 %, | single parent: 44.7 %, |
| Rank 27: | Netherlands, | everyone: 15.3 %, | alone, under 65: 30.0 %, | alone, 65+: 16.5 %, | single parent: 37.9 %, |
| everyone | 2 adults, 3+ children | 2 adults, no children | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU, | everyone: 29.2 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 38.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 21.9 %, | |
| Rank 1: | Greece, | everyone: 50.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 58.9 %, | 2 adults, no children: 45.3 %, |
| Rank 2: | Latvia, | everyone: 43.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 41.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 41.9 %, |
| Rank 3: | Bulgaria, | everyone: 42.4 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 60.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 42.7 %, |
| Rank 4: | Lithuania, | everyone: 41.1 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 44.4 %, | 2 adults, no children: 41.9 %, |
| Rank 5: | Romania, | everyone: 37.8 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 56.9 %, | 2 adults, no children: 33.0 %, |
| Rank 6: | Spain, | everyone: 36.4 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 50.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 28.9 %, |
| Rank 7: | Estonia, | everyone: 36.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 39.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 28.6 %, |
| Rank 8: | Cyprus, | everyone: 32.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 36.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 29.4 %, |
| Rank 9: | Germany, | everyone: 31.9 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 42.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 23.0 %, |
| Rank 10: | Croatia, | everyone: 31.2 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 40.7 %, |
| Rank 11: | Ireland, | everyone: 30.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 34.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 20.9 %, |
| Rank 12: | Hungary, | everyone: 30.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 35.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 24.5 %, |
| Rank 13: | Portugal, | everyone: 29.2 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 31.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 27.0 %, |
| Rank 14: | France, | everyone: 28.8 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 42.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 17.0 %, |
| Rank 15: | Finland, | everyone: 28.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 33.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 16.4 %, |
| Rank 16: | Slovakia, | everyone: 26.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 27.9 %, |
| Rank 17: | Italy, | everyone: 25.6 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 36.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 20.7 %, |
| Rank 18: | Slovenia, | everyone: 23.9 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 19.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 23.3 %, |
| Rank 19: | Sweden, | everyone: 23.0 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 28.8 %, | 2 adults, no children: 13.6 %, |
| Rank 20: | Poland, | everyone: 22.5 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 26.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 21.1 %, |
| Rank 21: | Belgium, | everyone: 22.1 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.0 %, | 2 adults, no children: 11.5 %, |
| Rank 22: | Luxembourg, | everyone: 21.8 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 29.5 %, | 2 adults, no children: 13.7 %, |
| Rank 23: | Austria, | everyone: 20.9 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 24.2 %, | 2 adults, no children: 12.0 %, |
| Rank 24: | Denmark, | everyone: 20.1 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 27.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 14.5 %, |
| Rank 25: | Czechia, | everyone: 18.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 30.7 %, | 2 adults, no children: 12.4 %, |
| Rank 25: | Malta, | everyone: 18.7 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 23.6 %, | 2 adults, no children: 14.6 %, |
| Rank 27: | Netherlands, | everyone: 15.3 %, | 2 adults, 3+ children: 14.3 %, | 2 adults, no children: 9.2 %, |
About the data
The share of people living in households that say they could not pay an unexpected, required expense of a set amount from their own resources. The amount is one twelfth of the country's yearly at-risk-of-poverty threshold for a single person.
Eurostat: “The inability to face unexpected financial expenses refers to the percentage of persons in the total population who are in the state of enforced inability to face unexpected financial expenses.” (source)
EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), a yearly sample survey of households run by the national statistical institutes. The answer is the household respondent's own assessment.
How to read these numbers
How it is measured
The survey covers people living in private households. People in collective households and institutions are generally not included (Estonia includes collective households).
The expense asked about differs between countries. It is one twelfth of each country's at-risk-of-poverty threshold for a single person, from the survey two years earlier, whatever the size of the household. The figure is what households say about themselves.
Paying from own resources means without asking anyone for financial help and without the household's debts getting worse. Paying in instalments or with a loan an expense that the household used to pay in cash does not count. Examples of such expenses are surgery, a funeral, major repairs in the house or replacing a washing machine or a car.
France's figures cover the European part of the country and, since 2022, four overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion). Mayotte is not included. Portugal's figures include the Azores and Madeira, and Cyprus's cover the government-controlled areas.
Provisional figures
A provisional value (flag p) may still be revised. This concerns Lithuania (2025).
Sources and data
Eurostat, Inability to face unexpected financial expenses (ilc_mdes04). Data updated 20 October 2026, retrieved 6 November 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Eurostat metadata · Eurostat methodology
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/ilc_mdes04?format=JSON&lang=en&freq=A&geo=AT&geo=BE&geo=BG&geo=CY&geo=CZ&geo=DE&geo=DK&geo=EE&geo=EL&geo=ES&geo=EU27_2020&geo=FI&geo=FR&geo=HR&geo=HU&geo=IE&geo=IT&geo=LT&geo=LU&geo=LV&geo=MT&geo=NL&geo=PL&geo=PT&geo=RO&geo=SE&geo=SI&geo=SK&hhcomp=TOTAL&rskpovth=TOTAL&unit=PCRelated stories
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In Greece, 35.0% of people live in a household that makes ends meet only with great difficulty, against 1.7% in the Netherlands (2025)
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Behind on utility bills in the EU countries
31.9% of people in Greece could not pay their utility bills on time, against 2.2% in the Netherlands (2025)
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How satisfied people in the EU are with their lives
In Finland and Romania, people rate their life 7.8 out of 10 on average, against 6.3 out of 10 in Bulgaria (2025)
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Risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU
The risk of poverty or social exclusion ranges from 11.5% in Czechia to 29.0% in Bulgaria (2025)