Over 95.4 million people -- every fifth EU citizen -- were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2021, the EU's statistical office warned on Thursday.
According to the latest data revealed by Eurostat, 21.7% of the bloc's population lived last year in a household that experiences at least one of the three main risks of poverty, severe social and material deprivation, or very low work intensity.
The number is slightly higher compared to 2020, when 94.8 million people, representing 21.6% of the EU population, faced similar difficulties.
In total, "73.7 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty, while 27.0 million were severely materially and socially deprived, and 29.3 million lived in a household with low work intensity," the statement explained.
Some 5.9 million people -- 1.3% of the population -- simultaneously experienced all three risk factors.
Among the 27 EU member states, Romania has the highest share of the population (34%) facing poverty and exclusion, followed by Bulgaria (32%), Greece, and Spain -- both 28% -- of their people at risk.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Finland recorded the lowest shares of the population in deprivation, with 11%, 13%, and 14%, respectively.
