Niels Geuking· PPE

Nuanced

20 million children and 93 million people in the EU are directly affected by poverty

Omissions

• The claim uses 'directly affected by poverty' but the official Eurostat indicator is 'at risk of poverty or social exclusion' (AROPE), which includes three distinct conditions: at-risk-of-poverty rate, severe material and social deprivation, and very low work intensity
• The data refers to 2024, the most recent available year before the claim date of February 2026
• The exact figure for children is 19.5 million (24.2% of children under 18), not 20 million
• The 93 million figure for total population is accurately rounded from 93.3 million (21.0% of EU population)

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - People at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024In 2024, 93.3 million people in the EU (21.0% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion
• PrimaryEurostat - 24% of EU children at poverty risk or social exclusionIn 2024, 19.5 million children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, representing 24.2% of children under the age of 18
• SecondaryEAPN - EU 2024 Poverty Watch ReportIn 2024, 93.3 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion; 19.5 million children at risk of poverty or social exclusion