One in four children in the EU live on the edge of poverty.

Omissions

• The claim uses the present tense ('live today') but the most recent confirmed Eurostat data for children specifically is from 2024 (published May 2025). Poverty statistics typically have a publication lag of approximately one year, as they rely on EU-SILC survey data from the previous year.
• The claim does not specify which indicator is used. The figure matches the AROPE rate (at risk of poverty or social exclusion), which is broader than the narrower AROP (at-risk-of-poverty) rate. The AROPE indicator combines monetary poverty, severe material and social deprivation, and low work intensity.

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%).