EU countries by people unable to face unexpected expenses

Bulgaria had the highest people unable to face unexpected expenses of 27 EU countries in 2023, at 46.7%. The Netherlands had the lowest, at 15.9%. The median was 29.4% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 31.2%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest46.7Bulgaria

Lowest15.9Netherlands

Median29.427 EU countries

European Union (27)31.2History

Map of EU countries, 2023

Under 23
23 to 27
27 to 31
31 to 40
40 and over

%, 2023. 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, 2023

%. 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	2023 (%)	Change on 2022
1	Bulgaria	46.7	+4.3 pts
2	Romania	46.4	-1.5 pts
3	Latvia	44.8	+0.7 pts
4	Greece	44.3	+0.7 pts
5	Croatia	41.4	-3.4 pts
6	Lithuania	40.5	+1.2 pts
7	Cyprus	37.5	-2.8 pts
8	Spain	37.2	+1.7 pts
9	Germany	35	+1.1 pts
10	Ireland	34.3	+1.2 pts
11	Hungary	31.3	-2.4 pts
12	Portugal	30.5	+0.6 pts
13	Estonia	30.4	-0.8 pts
14	France	29.4	-2 pts
15	Slovakia	29.3	+2.3 pts
16	Italy	28.8	-4.1 pts
17	Finland	26	+2.8 pts
18	Poland	25.7	-1.4 pts
19	Luxembourg	24.1	+5.3 pts
20	Denmark	23.1	+2.9 pts
21	Austria	22.8	+3.8 pts
22	Slovenia	22.7	-1.9 pts
23	Sweden	21.8	+0.6 pts
24	Belgium	21.6	-1.1 pts
25	Czechia	19.7	+2.2 pts
26	Malta	15.9	+0.5 pts
26	Netherlands	15.9	+1.3 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_people_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unable-to-face-unexpected-expenses/eu-countries?period=2023.
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?

Bulgaria, with 46.7% in 2023, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

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

The Netherlands, with 15.9% in 2023.

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.