EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses

Latvia had the highest people unable to face unexpected expenses of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 59.9%. Malta had the lowest, at 15.6%. The median was 34.8% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 34%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest59.9Latvia

Lowest15.6Malta

Median34.827 EU countries

European Union (27)34History

Map of EU countries, 2017

Under 25
25 to 30
30 to 37
37 to 51
51 and over

%, 2017. Source: Eurostat, Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

%. Source: Eurostat, Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2017 (%)	Change on 2016
1	Latvia	59.9	-0.1 pts
2	Croatia	56.2	-1.5 pts
3	Bulgaria	53.2	-1 pts
4	Greece	52.7	-0.9 pts
5	Romania	52.5	-2 pts
6	Lithuania	50.6	-2.6 pts
7	Cyprus	50.1	-6.5 pts
8	Ireland	41.6	-3.6 pts
9	Italy	38.3	-2.1 pts
10	Slovenia	37.1	-4.6 pts
11	Portugal	36.9	-1.4 pts
12	Spain	36.6	-2.1 pts
13	Estonia	36.3	+4.7 pts
14	Poland	34.8	-3.1 pts
15	Slovakia	34.6	-3.3 pts
16	Hungary	31.5	-19.3 pts
17	France	29.6	-2.2 pts
18	Germany	29.3	-0.7 pts
19	Finland	28.5	-0.9 pts
20	Czechia	28.1	-4 pts
21	Belgium	25.5	-0.5 pts
22	Denmark	25.1	+0.6 pts
23	Netherlands	20.7	-1.8 pts
24	Austria	20.6	-2 pts
25	Luxembourg	20.4	-1.5 pts
26	Sweden	19.7	-1 pts
27	Malta	15.6	-5.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of the population living in households that cannot pay an unexpected but necessary expense from their own resources (EU-SILC, all household types and incomes). The amount is set for each country, close to the monthly at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

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 face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/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 face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04) (EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table

MLA 9

Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04), EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017. Eurostat, European Commission, 17 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04), EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2017,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes04): EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc\_mdes04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc\_mdes04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04): EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses, 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Inability to face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_mdes04/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest people unable to face unexpected expenses?

Latvia, with 59.9% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest people unable to face unexpected expenses?

Malta, with 15.6% 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 face unexpected financial expenses, total population, all household types and incomes (ilc_mdes04). Retrieved 2026-10-12.