Irena Joveva· Renew

Confirmed

Almost a quarter of children are still subject to poverty

Omissions

• The precise figure is 24.2%, not 25%, though this falls within normal rounding tolerance for 'almost a quarter'.
• The data refers to the 'at risk of poverty or social exclusion' (AROPE) indicator, which is broader than income poverty alone - it includes people at risk of poverty, severely materially and socially deprived, or living in households with very low work intensity.
• The 2024 data was published by Eurostat in May 2025, which would have been available at the time of the January 2026 claim.
• The figure decreased from 24.8% in 2023 to 24.2% in 2024, showing a slight improvement trend.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - Children at risk of poverty 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 18.
• PrimaryEurostat Statistics Explained - Children at risk of poverty or social exclusionIn 2024, 24.2% of children aged less than 18 in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion compared with 20.3% of people aged 18 years and over.
• SecondaryEuronews - Where are children more vulnerable to poverty in the EUBetween 2023 and 2024, the percentage of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU slightly decreased from 24.8% to 24.2%.