In this year’s report, EAPN Cyprus examines the latest statistical and developmental tendencies related to poverty, contributing to their views on the measures needed to reduce poverty
The latest available data comes from the Statistical Service of Cyprus and is for 2022. The report aims to examine the welfare policies and how these are implemented in connection with the European Pillar of Social Rights plan (EPSR), as well as there will be an effort to comment on the Resilience and Recovery Plan (RRP).
🔎 EAPN Cyprus concludes the following observations:
- The rate of risk of poverty and social exclusion in all, or almost all indicators, from 2008 to 2022 records a downward course and tendency nevertheless remains at high levels at 16.7%.
- The rate of risk of poverty and social exclusion, despite the reduction observed in previous years in the total population (from 2013 to 2022), is still higher in the female population, in almost all the indicators examined, with the difference reaching 2.7% points this year. The reduction in the rate of poverty risk and social exclusion did not help to narrow the poverty gap between men and women.
- It is evident that elderly people face a considerably higher risk than the rest of society, which got worse in 2022. The risk is almost double for elderly people and 1 in every 5 persons over 65 are at risk of poverty (20.8%). The situation worsened in 2022 relative to the year before. In 2021, the percentage was lower by 1.3% points (19.5%). In particular, men in this age group saw their share increase to 19.1% from 17% and women to 22.4% from 21.7%.
- Women face consistently a higher risk of poverty in comparison to men which measures close to 3% points for all age groups.
- It is evident that the most vulnerable category to poverty, based on household type, are single parents. In 2022, one every four single parents (25.1%) was at the risk of poverty.
- Social transfers once more are important for a large percentage of the population to avoid falling into poverty and social exclusion, since social transfers reduced the risk by almost 20% points from 33.3% to 13.9% for the entire population.
- 2022 is the year when the upward trend of the percentage of people at risk of poverty before any social transfers take place ceases.
- Despite the positive developments in AROP before social transfers, the AROP rates for both genders remained at similar levels as the year before. The effectiveness of the existing system of social transfers to mitigate poverty was lower than in the years before underlying the need for revision.
