Almost 100 million Europeans are at risk of poverty.
Social PolicyEuropean Union
- Omissions
- The claim uses the term 'at risk of poverty' (risque de pauvreté) which in Eurostat terminology refers specifically to monetary poverty — approximately 72 million people, not 100 million. The figure closest to the claim (92.7 million) corresponds to the broader AROPE indicator: 'at risk of poverty or social exclusion', which additionally includes severe material and social deprivation and low work intensity.
- The MEP rounds up significantly from 92.7 million to 'almost 100 million', a gap of approximately 7.3 million people.
- The EU-SILC 2025 at-risk-of-poverty data (72.4 million) was published on 26 May 2026, six days after this speech; the MEP could not have cited it. However, the AROPE 2025 data (92.7 million) was published on 30 April 2026 and was available.
- Sources
- PrimaryEurostatIn 2025, 92.7 million people in the EU (20.9% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
- PrimaryEurostatIn 2024, 93.3 million people in the EU (21.0% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
- PrimaryEurostatEU-SILC 2025, based on 2024 income, shows that 72.4 million people in the EU, or 16.3% of the population, were at risk of poverty. This share increased by 0.1 pp compared with EU-SILC 2024.