One fifth (20.2%) of Estonia‘s population lives at risk of poverty, while 2.7% live in absolute poverty, new data from Statistics Estonia has found.
According to the data, for the year 2023, the share of people living at risk of poverty has decreased by 2.3 percentage points, year-on-year, while the share of those in absolute poverty has also declined, by 0.8 percentage points.
At the same time, the share of people living in self-perceived deprivation was up by 1.5 percentage points in 2024, Statistics Estonia noted.
At risk of poverty
“In 2023, close to 274,800 people lived at risk of poverty – nearly 29,000 fewer than in 2022,” commented Epp Remmelg, lead analyst at Statistics Estonia. “Their net monthly income, taking into account household composition, i.e. the equivalised disposable income, was less than €807.”
According to the data, the risk of poverty is highest among elderly people that live alone, as well as lone parent households.
“However, we see that in 2023, the at-risk-of-poverty rate decreased the most among these households, as well as among households with three or more children,” Remmelg added.
The data also highlights regional disparities in poverty. The at-risk-of-poverty rate was more than double in the counties of Ida-Viru (35%) and Lääne-Viru (29.2%) compared to Harju (15.5%) and Rapla (14.1%). In general terms, poverty rates in the most distant regions from the capital, Tallinn, increased.
Read more: What EU country boasts the highest percentage of people unable to afford a proper meal?
Absolute poverty
In 2023, nearly 36,400 people lived in absolute poverty; 11,300 fewer than a year earlier.
“However, it is worth noting that this number is still higher than three, four or five years ago,” Remmelg added.
Absolute poverty is defined as having an income below the subsistence minimum, which in 2023 was below €338 per month.
Estonia’s Ministry of Social Affairs has emphasised the importance of targeting support to the most vulnerable groups, such as elderly people and lone parents.
“It is still the people living alone or households with only one source of income who are most at risk of poverty,” said Kati Nõlvak, head of economic subsistence at the Ministry of Social Affairs. “The absolute poverty rate is also higher among the unemployed. Our aim is to help the most vulnerable target groups – the elderly and lone parents – to get back on a better economic footing, both through various allowances and services.” Read more here.
