EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday

Romania had the highest people who cannot afford a week of holiday of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 65%. Sweden had the lowest, at 8.8%. The median was 34.3% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 31%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest65Romania

Lowest8.8Sweden

Median34.327 EU countries

European Union (27)31History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Under 15
15 to 26
26 to 38
38 to 47
47 and over

%, 2017. Source: Eurostat, Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

%. Source: Eurostat, Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Romania	65	-1.6 pts
2	Croatia	58.2	-3 pts
3	Bulgaria	52.6	-3.8 pts
4	Cyprus	52.3	+1.7 pts
5	Greece	50.9	-2.7 pts
6	Hungary	48.2	-2.5 pts
7	Portugal	44.3	-2.9 pts
8	Italy	43	-2.3 pts
9	Slovakia	42.3	-2.6 pts
10	Lithuania	41.8	-2.4 pts
11	Poland	38.4	-2.8 pts
12	Latvia	37.3	+0.2 pts
13	Ireland	35.5	-2.3 pts
14	Spain	34.3	-6 pts
15	Malta	33.9	-2.9 pts
16	Estonia	27.9	-1.7 pts
17	Belgium	25.3	-1 pts
18	Czechia	25	-3.9 pts
19	France	23.1	-0.3 pts
19	Slovenia	23.1	-3.8 pts
21	Finland	15.4	+1.2 pts
22	Germany	15.3	-3.1 pts
23	Netherlands	15.2	-1 pts
24	Austria	14.2	-1.2 pts
25	Denmark	13.8	0 pts
26	Luxembourg	10.9	-2.3 pts
27	Sweden	8.8	+0.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of the population living in households that cannot afford to pay for one week of annual holiday away from home (EU-SILC, all household types and incomes).

EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC). The reference year is the survey year. Self-reported by households; a share of people, not of households.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02) (EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table

MLA 9

Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02), EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017. Eurostat, European Commission, 17 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02), EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2017,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes02): EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes02). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc\_mdes02/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02): EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cannot-afford-holiday/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes02/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by people who cannot afford a week of holiday using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"unable_to_afford_holiday_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest people who cannot afford a week of holiday?

Romania, with 65% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest people who cannot afford a week of holiday?

Sweden, with 8.8% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Inability to afford paying for one week annual holiday away from home, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes02). Retrieved 2026-10-12.