Last year in the EU as a whole, 41 million people were in this situation, of which 997,000 were living in Portugal.
In its report Eurostat notes that the proportion of EU residents suffering from severe deprivation has been falling since its 2012 peak – when it stood at 9.9 percent of the total population. In 2013 it fell to 9.6 percent, in 2014 to 9.0 percent and last year to 8.2 percent.
In Portugal, the reduction in the rate began later: it peaked at 10.9 percent in 2013, fell slightly the following year to 10.6 percent and again in 2015 to 9.6 percent.
Among member states for which 2015 figures are available – Eurostat lacks data for seven EU members - the highest rates are for Bulgaria (34.2 percent), Romania (24.6 percent) and Greece (22.2 percent). The lowest are for Finland (2.2 percent), the Netherlands (2.5 percent) and Austria (3.6 percent).
The definition of severe material deprivation covers all those whose living conditions are limited by a lack of resources and who are unable, for example, to pay all their bills, heat their home adequately or take a week’s holiday away.