EU‑SILC: EU statistics on income and living conditions
EU‑SILC is the primary source for comparable data on income distribution, poverty, social exclusion, and living conditions across the European Union. It supports policy monitoring through the open method of coordination (the EU’s voluntary method for coordinating policy without binding legislation). EU-SILC was piloted in 2003 with six member states and Norway. The data collection formally began in 2004 and gradually expanded to include all EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey by 2007.
Two types of data are collected annually through EU-SILC:
cross‑sectional data capturing income, poverty, social exclusion, and living conditions at specific points in time, and
longitudinal data tracking individual changes over four‑year periods.
While the main focus lies on detailed income components at both personal and household levels, the data also contains information on social exclusion, housing, employment, education, and health.
EU‑SILC functions as a common ‘framework’ rather than as a common ‘survey’. The framework defines harmonised lists of both target primary, annual variables and secondary variables every four years (or less frequently). These are transmitted to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office responsible for producing comparable European statistics. The framework also defines common guidelines and procedures as well as concepts (household and income) and classifications to maximise information comparability.
The reference population includes all private households and their current members residing in participating countries at the time of data collection, generally excluding people in collective households and institutions. National territories representing up to 2% of the population may be excluded. All household members are surveyed, but only those aged 16 and above are interviewed. More information about EU‑SILC is available in Commission (2025b, 2025a).
AROP – At‑risk‑of‑poverty rate (60%)
The at‑risk‑of‑poverty rate (60%) refers to the proportion of individuals living in households whose equivalised disposable income is below 60% of the national median after social transfers. It is a key measure of relative income poverty (Eurostat, n.d.-b). In the context of child poverty, this indicator represents the percentage of children living under these economic conditions relative to all children. AROP is the most widely used and standardised measure of relative poverty in the literature.
Material deprivation rate
The material deprivation rate, as defined by EU‑SILC, measures how many individuals lack the financial means to afford goods and services generally regarded as essential for a decent standard of living. The indicator distinguishes between people who cannot afford specific items and those who do not have them for other reasons, such as personal preference or lack of need. The material deprivation rate is calculated as the share of the population experiencing an enforced lack of at least 7 out of 13 deprivation items (6 individual‑related items and 7 household‑related items).
Very low work intensity (VLWI)
The very-low-work-intensity (VLWI) indicator identifies individuals aged 0–64 and living in households where working‑age adults (18–64) have, in sum, worked 20% or less of their combined maximum possible work capacity during the previous year. These households are also referred to as quasi‑jobless households. Work intensity is calculated by comparing the total number of months worked by all working‑age household members (with part‑time work converted to full‑time equivalents) with the total number of months they could theoretically have worked during the reference period.
Working‑age adults include those aged 18–64, excluding students aged 18–24, self‑identified retirees, pension recipients (except survivor pensions), and inactive individuals aged 60–64 in households primarily supported by pension income. Households consisting solely of children, students under 25, and/or individuals aged 65 years or older are excluded from calculations.
AROPE – At risk of poverty or social exclusion
AROPE is a composite indicator that counts individuals experiencing at least one of three conditions:
being at risk of poverty,
experiencing severe material and social deprivation, or
residing in households with very limited employment.
Each person is counted only once, even when meeting multiple criteria. The AROPE rate expresses this population segment as a percentage of the total population. This metric serves as the primary tool for tracking the EU’s poverty and social exclusion goals and previously functioned as the key indicator for the EU 2020 strategy.
Early childhood education and care (ECEC)
ECEC refers to the organised provision of care, education, and developmental support for children prior to compulsory schooling. In the Nordic countries, ECEC is a universal, publicly financed service with rights-based access and a dual mandate to promote children’s well-being, learning, and social inclusion.