A total of 167,000 people in Cyprus are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the 2025 Survey on Income and Living Conditions of Households published on Monday by the Statistical Service. The findings show that 17.1% of the population falls into this category, with the indicator remaining unchanged compared with 2024.
Poverty and social exclusion indicators
According to the survey, 17.1% of the population lived in households with disposable income below the poverty threshold, or in households experiencing severe material and social deprivation, or in households with a very low work intensity.
The overall indicator for 2025 remained unchanged from the previous year, when it also stood at 17.1%.
During 2025, the rate for women reached 18.7%, while for men it stood at 15.5%, indicating that women remain in a more disadvantaged position.
Changes in key indicators
The risk-of-poverty rate increased slightly by 0.3 percentage points, from 14.6% in 2024 to 14.9% in 2025.
The share of the population living in households with very low work intensity remained unchanged at 4.2%.
At the same time, the indicator for severe material and social deprivation declined by 0.3 percentage points, from 2.5% in 2024 to 2.2% in 2025.
These changes resulted in the overall risk-of-poverty or social exclusion indicator remaining stable at 17.1% in 2025.
Risk of poverty threshold
The share of the population at risk of poverty, defined as having disposable income below the poverty threshold, reached 14.9% in 2025, a slight increase compared with 14.6% in 2024.
The monetary threshold for the risk of poverty, defined as 60% of the median total equivalised disposable household income, was calculated at €13,240 for a single-person household and €27,803 for a household with two adults and two children under 14.
These figures represent an increase of 6.8% compared with 2024, when the corresponding thresholds were €12,400 and €26,039.
The median equivalised disposable income per person in 2025 reached €22,067, compared with €20,667 in 2024.
Impact of social transfers
The survey also shows the impact of social transfers on reducing poverty levels.
In 2025, the proportion of the population at risk of poverty before social transfers, including pensions and benefits, stood at 33.6%.
When pensions were included in household disposable income, the rate fell to 21.7%. After including other social benefits, the rate declined further to 14.9%.
Overall, social transfers reduced the poverty risk indicator by 18.7 percentage points in 2025, with 11.9 percentage points attributed to pensions and 6.8 percentage points to other social benefits.