Over 20% of the European population lives in poverty or social exclusion

Omissions

• The claim does not specify a reference year; the most recent Eurostat data available before the session date (2025 data, published 30 April 2026) shows 20.9%, which is 'over 20%' but only marginally so.
• The AROPE indicator used by Eurostat combines three dimensions: monetary at-risk-of-poverty, severe material and social deprivation, and very low work intensity. The claim uses the general term 'poverty or social exclusion' which correctly matches this composite indicator.

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat News Article — 2025 dataIn 2025, 92.7 million people in the EU (20.9% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
• PrimaryEurostat News Article — 2024 dataIn 2024, 93.3 million people in the EU (21.0% of the population) were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
• SecondaryEuropean Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)According to the last Eurostat statistics, in 2024, at least 93.3 million people in the EU were living at risk of poverty or social exclusion.