Around 25% of children in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Omissions

• The MEP did not cite a specific data year. The most recent Eurostat data at the time of the session (2026-06-18) was for 2024: 24.2%, which is slightly lower than the stated 'around 25%' but well within rounding tolerance.
• The trend is modestly improving: the rate fell from 24.8% in 2023 to 24.2% in 2024, and has been declining from a peak of 27.5% in 2016.
• There is significant variation across Member States — some countries have rates above 30% (e.g. Romania, Spain), while others are below 15% (e.g. Slovenia, Finland).

Sources

• 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. Between 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%.
• PrimaryEurostat News — 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. This figure represented 24.2% of children under the age of 18, down by 0.6 percentage points (pp) compared with 2023 (24.8%).