Eurostat: 35% of Albanians cannot afford rent, bills, vacations, or buying new clothes

Albania is the country with the highest level of severe material and social deprivation in Europe, according to the latest Eurostat data for 2024.

The indicator measures the percentage of the population that cannot afford at least 7 out of 13 goods, services, or activities considered necessary for an adequate standard of living.

These include paying rent and bills, meeting unexpected expenses, regularly consuming meat or fish, a week's vacation away from home, owning a vehicle, replacing worn-out furniture, buying new clothes and shoes, being able to spend a small amount on yourself, participating in social activities, and accessing the internet.

Data show that around 35% of the population in Albania (34.8%) lived in conditions of severe material and social deprivation in 2024, the highest level in Europe.

The figures show that the gap between Albania and the European Union countries remains very large. The EU average was around 6.3% in 2024, about five times lower than the level recorded in Albania.

Albanians are very deprived not only in relation to EU countries, but also in comparison to other countries in the region. North Macedonia has material deprivation at the level of 11.6%, Serbia 10.3% and the indicator is slightly higher in Montenegro, at 12.3%. There is no data for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Compared to previous years, the rate of material deprivation has decreased (in 2018, the indicator was almost 46%), but it still remains at least twice as high and second only to us.

Fewer Europeans in difficulty than a decade ago

At the European Union level, the number of people living in conditions of severe material and social deprivation has fallen from around 41 million in 2015 to 27.5 million in 2024.

On average in the EU, about 6.3% of the population exhibits a high level of material deprivation, with the leading countries being Romania (16.8%), Greece (14.9%), Bulgaria (15%) and the lowest level being in Poland (2%), the Netherlands (2.6%), Austria (2.9%), and the Czech Republic (2.6%).

How is the material deprivation indicator measured?

The material deprivation indicator, according to Eurostat's definition, measures the enforced lack of certain elements that are considered necessary and desirable for a decent life.

It measures the percentage of the population that cannot afford at least 7 of the following 13 elements:

paying rent, bills, installments on deferred purchases or other loans;
keeping the home sufficiently warm;
meeting unexpected expenses;
consuming meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian alternatives every other day;
a week's vacation away from home;
access to a car or van for personal use;
replacing worn-out furniture;
replacing worn-out clothes with new ones;
owning two pairs of suitable shoes;
spending a small amount of money each week on oneself;
participating in regular recreational activities;
meeting friends or family for a drink or meal at least once a month;
connecting to the Internet.
Items 1 to 7 relate to the household level, while items 8 to 13 relate to the individual level. Monitor