Social

13.6% of EU children faced material deprivation in 2024

13.6% of EU children faced material deprivation in 2024

In 2024, 13.6% of children under the age of 16 in the EU were materially deprived. Child specific material deprivation is based on the inability to afford at least 3 out of 17 items (goods or services) considered necessary or desirable ...

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Pre-primary education reaches 95% participation in 2023

Pre-primary education reaches 95% participation in 2023

In 2023, 94.6% of children aged between 3 and the compulsory starting age for primary education in the EU countries were in pre-primary education, compared with 93.3% in 2022. This means that progress is made for the EU to reach 1 of ...

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24% of EU children at poverty risk or social exclusion

24% of EU children at poverty risk or social exclusion

In 2024, 19.5 million children in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This figure represented 24.2% of children under the age of 18, down by 0.6 percentage points (pp) from 2023 (24.8%). At the country level, in 2024, ...

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Employment gaps for women & people with disabilities

Employment gaps for women & people with disabilities

In 2024, employment inequalities linked to disability, gender and origin were recorded in the EU. The gender employment gap in the EU was 10.0 percentage points (pp), with an employment rate of 80.8% for men and 70.8% for women. The gap ...

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59 085 asylum applications in February 2025

59 085 asylum applications in February 2025

In February 2025, 59 085 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, marking a 23% decrease compared with February 2024 (77 170) and a 12% decline compared with January 2025 (66 ...

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People in the EU worked on average 36 hours per week

People in the EU worked on average 36 hours per week

In 2024, the actual weekly hours of work for both full-time and part-time workers aged 20-64 in the EU in their main job averaged 36.0 hours, down from 37.0 hours in 2014. A closer look at EU countries reveals notable differences. In ...

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