Drop in percentage of Bulgarians at risk of poverty, social exclusion – Eurostat figures
The percentage of the population of Bulgaria at risk of poverty and social exclusion decreased from 49.2 per cent in 2010 to 40.4 per cent in 2016, according to figures released on April 3 by European Union statistics agency Eurostat.
These figures remained well above the EU averages, which also decreased, from 23.8 per cent in 2010 to 23.5 per cent in 2016.
In Bulgaria, the major drop came between 2013 and 2014, when the percentage fell from 48 per cent to 40.1 per cent, going by Eurostat’s figures.
Separate figures showed that the percentage of severely materially deprived people in Bulgaria, as a percentage of the population, decreased from 45.7 per cent in 2010 to 31.9 per cent in 2016.
The percentage of people unable to keep their home adequately warm fell from 66.5 per cent in 2010 to 39.2 per cent in 2016, according to Eurostat.
The decrease in the percentage of people in Bulgaria living in poor housing conditions was not as sharp, from 16.1 per cent in 2010 to 15.4 per cent in 2016.
The percentage of those living in households without basic sanitary facilities, such as a bath, shower and indoor flushing toilet, decreased from 14.6 per cent 2010 to 10.7 per cent in 2016, Eurostat said.
In 2010, 47.4 per cent of people in Bulgaria were living in overcrowded housing conditions. In 2016, the number was 42.5 per cent, according to Eurostat.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
