FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Cyprus recorded the lowest rate in the European Union in 2024 for people unable to afford a meal with meat, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every other day, according to Eurostat.
Just 1.2% of the population fell into that category, compared to an EU average of 8.5%.
The bloc-wide figure dropped one percentage point from 2023.
Among people at risk of poverty, the rate rose to 19.4%, compared to 6.4% for those not considered at risk.
Slovakia reported the highest rate of food insecurity among low-income residents at 39.8%, followed by Bulgaria at 37.7% and Hungary at 37.3%.
Cyprus had the lowest rate in that group at 3.5%, with Ireland and Portugal both at 5.1%.
The data is part of Eurostat’s material and social deprivation index, used to track poverty and social exclusion under the EU’s Social Rights Action Plan.