A percentage of 2.7% of the population (24,000 persons) lived in 2022 in conditions of severe material and social deprivation, compared to 2.6% in 2021, although this continues to be below EU27 average, based on the results of the Household Income and Living Conditions Survey of 2022. According to a press release from the Cyprus Statistical Service (CyStat), this indicator shows the percentage of the population that is deprived, due to financial difficulties, of at least 7 items from a list of 13 goods, services and social activities, examined in this survey. As reported, the survey conducted in 2022, with income reference period the year 2020, covered a sample of 4,128 households in all districts of Cyprus, in both urban and rural areas. According to the survey, the index of the population with severe material and social deprivation in Cyprus from 2015 to 2022, compared to the EU Member States, remains since 2015 consistently below the EU27 average and is on a downward trend. At the same time, the data from the survey on severe material and social deprivation by age group for the years 2015-2022 show that in Cyprus children under 18 years of age record the highest rates over time and specifically, for 2022 it was 4.4%. It is added that this is followed by persons aged 18-64 with a percentage of 2.7% and by persons aged 65 and over with a percentage of 0.9%, while since 2015, the greatest improvement has been observed in children, with a gradual decrease of 6.0 percentage points (from 10.4% in 2015 to 4.4% in 2022) and for persons aged 18-64, with a decrease of 5.5 percentage points (from 8.2% to 2.7%). Furthermore, according to the survey on the percentages of the population with material and social deprivation by deprivation component for the years 2021 and 2022 in Cyprus and the EU27 average for 2022, it is mainly noted the inability of the population, to afford facing unexpected but necessary financial expenses with 39.7% (EU27: 31.5%), to afford paying for one week holiday with 37.2% (EU27: 28.6%) and to afford replacing worn-out furniture with 31.5% (EU27: 22.0%). The survey also presents for the year 2022, the percentages of the population who are materially and socially deprived by component and by income category (total, above and below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold). As indicated, persons below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold (i.e. at-risk-of-poverty) are worse off than those above the at-risk-of-poverty threshold (non- at-risk-of-poverty). It is noted that the survey results have indicated the inability of the population who are at risk of poverty, to afford facing unexpected but necessary financial expenses with 76.8% (the non-at risk of poverty with 33.7%), to afford paying for one week holiday with 73.4% (the non-at risk of poverty with 31.4%), to afford replacing worn-out furniture with 58.8% (the non-at risk of poverty with 27.1%) and to afford keeping home adequately warm with 50.6% (the non-at risk of poverty with 14.1%).
Source: Cyprus News Agency