EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses

Latvia had the highest people unable to face unexpected expenses of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 55.3%. Malta had the lowest, at 13.9%. The median was 32.1% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 32.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest55.3Latvia

Lowest13.9Malta

Median32.127 EU countries

European Union (27)32.2History

Map of EU countries, 2018

Under 24
24 to 31
31 to 34
34 to 44
44 and over

%, 2018. 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, 2018

%. 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	2018 (%)	Change on 2017
1	Latvia	55.3	-4.6 pts
2	Croatia	52.9	-3.3 pts
3	Greece	50.4	-2.3 pts
4	Cyprus	49.5	-0.6 pts
5	Lithuania	48.8	-1.8 pts
6	Romania	45.9	-6.6 pts
7	Ireland	37.3	-4.3 pts
8	Spain	35.9	-0.7 pts
9	Italy	35.1	-3.2 pts
10	Estonia	34.7	-1.6 pts
10	Portugal	34.7	-2.2 pts
12	Hungary	33.3	+1.8 pts
13	Slovenia	33.1	-4 pts
14	Bulgaria	32.1	-21.1 pts
15	Poland	31.7	-3.1 pts
16	Slovakia	31.5	-3.1 pts
17	France	31.4	+1.8 pts
18	Germany	28.1	-1.2 pts
19	Finland	27.2	-1.3 pts
20	Denmark	25.2	+0.1 pts
21	Belgium	24.5	-1 pts
22	Czechia	23.7	-4.4 pts
23	Netherlands	21.5	+0.8 pts
24	Sweden	20.2	+0.5 pts
25	Austria	20.1	-0.5 pts
26	Luxembourg	19.7	-0.7 pts
27	Malta	13.9	-1.7 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2018.
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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Rank EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses using official data, and cite the source.

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Questions

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

Latvia, with 55.3% in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

Malta, with 13.9% in 2018.

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.