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The European Child Guarantee outlines recommendations for Member States to support effective access to adequate housing for children at risk of poverty or social exclusion. In this section of the European Child Guarantee info hub, the analysis covers children in households with cost overburden.
The EU-SILC analysis measures the percentage of children below the age of 18 living in a household where the total housing costs (net of housing allowances) represent more than 40% of the total disposable household income (net of housing allowances). The data presented as part of this analysis cover three socioeconomic statuses: children at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE), those not at risk (non-AROPE) and the total population of children.
In 2022, 6.9% of all children under the age of 18 in the EU27 lived in a household facing housing cost overburden. For non-AROPE children, the share went down to 2.4%. However, the rate for AROPE children was 21.3%.
In terms of children who were experiencing housing cost overburden in 2022, the biggest differences between AROPE and non-AROPE children could be found in Czechia, Greece and the Netherlands. These three countries also had the highest rates of housing cost overburden among AROPE children. The lowest rates could be found in Finland and Cyprus, which also had the smallest gap between AROPE and non-AROPE children who were experiencing housing cost overburden.
Over the period 2015–2022 covered by this indicator, the EU average rate for all children living in a household facing financial burden decreased. For AROPE children, this reduction was especially large, falling from 28.4% in 2015 to 21.3% in 2022, showing a decrease of 7.1 percentage points. Nonetheless, the gap between AROPE and non-AROPE children in households facing cost overburden is almost 20%.
During the same period, a reduction of disparities can be seen between Member States for all children, which is reflected in the decrease over time in the standard deviation. Therefore, upward convergence is recorded, due to the improvement of the situation in the EU27 over time (that is, a decreased share of overburden costs) together with a decrease in disparities between countries. Although a small decrease can be seen, disparities remained unchanged for AROPE children.
Some of the countries that had a high rate of AROPE children experiencing housing cost overburden in 2015, such as Estonia and Germany, saw the rate drop below the EU average in 2022. Other countries, like Greece and Czechia, also experienced a significant decrease, but remain well above the EU average. Finland and Cyprus had a low share of AROPE children living in a household facing housing cost overburden throughout the period 2015–2022.
Children at risk of poverty or social exclusion and other children in need of support
Effective and free access to high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC)
Effective and free access to high quality primary and secondary education and school-based activities
Effective and free access to quality healthcare for children at risk of poverty or exclusion
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