Overview of the Publication
The “Key figures on European living conditions – 2025 edition” is produced by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Authors are listed simply as Eurostat, reflecting the agency’s role in gathering, analysing and publishing comprehensive data on income, poverty, health, disability, wellbeing and related social indicators across EU and EFTA member states. The resource serves as an openly accessible reference for policymakers, researchers and the public, offering a snapshot of socio‑economic conditions that underpin sustainable housing strategies.
Housing‑Related Economic Strain
In 2024, 17.4 % of EU households reported difficulty making ends meet, while 26.0 % found it very easy. Notably, 41.6 % of households experienced at least some difficulty, with the highest hardship observed in Bulgaria (77.2 %) and Greece (86.2 %). Conversely, Germany (18.1 %) and the Netherlands (19.3 %) reported the lowest levels of financial stress. These figures highlight the economic pressures that can affect housing affordability and the capacity of households to invest in energy‑efficient home upgrades.
Energy Efficiency and Home Improvements
Only 25.5 % of EU residents lived in dwellings that had improved energy efficiency in the preceding five years (2023 data). The share rose to 27.5 % for households not at risk of poverty or social exclusion, but fell to 17.8 % for those at risk, indicating a disparity in access to energy‑saving retrofits. Regional differences are pronounced, with Bulgaria and the Netherlands showing the largest gaps, while Luxembourg and Estonia display higher improvement rates among vulnerable groups.
Household Composition and Poverty Risk
The 2024 data reveal that 21.9 % of people living in households with dependent children face poverty or social exclusion, compared with 20.1 % in child‑free households. The gap widens in Luxembourg (11.4 % points) and narrows in Latvia and Estonia (around 15 % points lower for families with children). Single‑adult households, especially those without children, exhibit elevated shares of very low work‑intensity (17.3 % for single men, 19.1 % for single women), underscoring the link between household structure and economic vulnerability.
Income Inequality and Material Deprivation
The median disposable income in the EU (2024) stood at 21 253 PPS per inhabitant, with a Gini coefficient of 29.3 %, indicating moderate inequality. Severe material and social deprivation affected 6.4 % of the population, higher among women (6.6 %) than men (6.2 %). Children experienced the greatest deprivation (7.9 %), while older adults reported the lowest (5.1 %). Countries such as Romania (17.2 %), Bulgaria (16.6 %) and Greece (14.0 %) recorded the highest deprivation rates.
Health, Disability and Social Exclusion
In 2024, 68.4 % of EU residents aged 16+ rated their health as good or very good, while 23.9 % reported some or severe disability, with women more affected (26.2 % vs 21.5 %). People with disabilities faced a 28.8 % risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 17.9 % for non‑disabled individuals. The disparity is most acute in Croatia, where the risk for disabled people is 2.6 times higher than for those without disability.
Well‑Being, Life Satisfaction and Trust
Average life‑satisfaction scores reached 7.2 out of 10 in 2024, slightly below 2018 levels. Finland, Romania and Slovenia posted the highest satisfaction (7.8–7.7), while Bulgaria recorded the lowest (6.2). Trust in others averaged 5.8, with higher scores in Romania, Finland and Poland (7.0+) and lower scores in Cyprus, France, Lithuania, Slovenia and Greece (below 5.0). Educational attainment influences both trust and satisfaction, with higher‑educated groups reporting better outcomes.
Implications for Sustainable Housing
The dataset underscores that economic hardship, energy‑efficiency gaps and material deprivation are unevenly distributed across regions and household types. Policies aiming to promote sustainable, affordable housing must address financial barriers for low‑income and at‑risk households, support retrofitting programmes in deprived areas, and consider household composition when designing interventions. Eurostat’s publicly available statistics provide a solid evidence base for pan‑European initiatives targeting greener, more inclusive housing solutions.