EU Financial Strain Eases as Homicides Decline
Eurostat data shows 29.2% of EU residents could not cope with unexpected expenses in 2025, down from 30.0% a year earlier.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Economic Indicators
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Eurostat reported that 29.2% of the EU population was unable to cope with unexpected financial expenses in 2025, compared with 30.0% in 2024. Separately, police-recorded data showed Lithuania had the highest homicide rate relative to population in 2024.
Why it matters
The figures show wide gaps between EU member states, with financial vulnerability and violent crime varying sharply by country. Readers can use the country-level comparisons to understand where pressures are highest.
Eurostat's household survey data shows 29.2% of the EU population could not cope with unexpected expenses in 2025, down from 30.0% in 2024. Greece reported the highest share at 50.5%, while the Netherlands reported the lowest at 15.3%.
The players
Eurostat
Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union, which publishes harmonized data on member states' economies and living conditions.
The details
Greece, Latvia and Bulgaria recorded the highest shares unable to cope with unexpected expenses, at 50.5%, 43.7% and 42.4% respectively. Malta and Czechia each reported 18.7%. Lithuania's police-recorded homicide rate was 2.63 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, and the country's rate has more than halved since 2014.
Timeline
2014: Lithuania's homicide rate began a decline that more than halved it by 2024.
2024: Lithuania recorded the EU's highest police-recorded homicide rate relative to population; EU financial strain was 30.0%.
2025: 29.2% of the EU population was unable to cope with unexpected financial expenses.
Economic Indicators Context
The 2025 reading of 29.2% continues the EU-SILC financial-resilience series maintained by Eurostat, showing a modest one-point improvement from 30.0% in 2024. The gap between Greece's 50.5% and the Netherlands' 15.3% shows that the EU-wide average conceals substantial divergence among member economies.
For households in countries with high shares unable to cover unexpected costs, a modest emergency expense can create immediate financial strain. Readers in lower-strain countries face a comparatively more stable household outlook based on this survey.
The takeaway
Financial resilience and personal safety vary widely across the EU, so country-level data is more informative than the regional average alone. Tracking these indicators over time helps show whether conditions are improving.
Further reading
Explore more Economic Indicators coverage for context on how these measures are tracked across the EU.
Source note: This article includes information reported by European Commission.
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