Nearly one in three people in Cyprus were unable to cope with unexpected financial expenses in 2025, although the proportion has fallen steadily in recent years, according to figures published by Eurostat on Wednesday.
The share of the population facing this difficulty stood at 32% in 2025, down from 34.8% in 2024 and significantly below the 46.7% recorded in 2019.
The figures point to an improvement in households’ ability to withstand unforeseen costs. However, a substantial proportion of the population remains financially vulnerable.
Across the European Union, 29.2% of people were unable to meet unexpected expenses in 2025, compared with 30% in 2024. Cyprus therefore remained above the EU average despite the progress recorded over the seven-year period.
Fewer people in Cyprus struggle with unexpected costs
The proportion of people in Cyprus unable to cope with unexpected expenses declined from 46.7% in 2019 to 43.7% in 2020, 42.1% in 2021 and 40.3% in 2022.
The downward trend continued in subsequent years, with the figure falling to 37.5% in 2023 and 34.8% in 2024, before reaching 32% in 2025.
Greece, meanwhile, recorded a sharp increase in the proportion of people unable to meet unexpected expenses last year.
It had the highest rate in the EU in 2025, at 50.5%, followed by Latvia at 43.7% and Bulgaria at 42.4%.
In Greece, the figure stood at 47.8% in 2019 before reaching a seven-year high of 50.7% in 2020. It subsequently declined to 46.3% in 2021 and 43.6% in 2022, before rising to 44.3% in 2023 and easing slightly to 43.9% in 2024.
The latest increase to 50.5% represents a significant deterioration.
At the other end of the scale, the Netherlands recorded the lowest proportion of people unable to cope with unexpected financial expenses, at 15.3%. Malta and the Czech Republic followed, both at 18.7%.
Eurostat highlights wider aspects of security
Eurostat said the ability to manage unexpected events can contribute to a sense of security and influence people’s quality of life.
The agency noted that economic security involves not only being able to meet unforeseen expenses but also keeping up with regular payments.
Physical safety, including protection from crime and violence, is another important factor affecting people’s sense of security.
Cyprus homicide rate falls over a decade
Separate Eurostat figures on police-recorded intentional homicides showed that Cyprus recorded 0.93 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, down from 1.17 in 2014.
Greece also recorded a decline over the same period, with its rate falling from 0.96 to 0.78 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Across the EU, Lithuania had the highest homicide rate in 2024, at 2.63 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Latvia at 2.40 and Estonia at 1.82.
However, Lithuania also recorded the largest reduction in its homicide rate, which more than halved compared with 2014.
Luxembourg had the lowest rate in 2024, at 0.30 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Italy at 0.57 and the Czech Republic at 0.63.
The figures offer two different measures of security across Europe, combining households’ ability to withstand financial shocks with the incidence of serious violent crime.
Also read: One in three workers earns under €1,500 a month
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