One in five Greek households cannot cover needs
Nearly one in five Greek households faced deprivation last year, ranking the country sixth in terms of the worst living conditions in the European Union, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) said on Friday.
The agency said that, in 2012, as the country’s economic crisis gathered pace, 19.5 percent of the population had trouble obtaining a variety of basic goods and services.
“During the last five years [2008-2012] there has been an increase in material deprivation in at least four out of nine categories of basic goods and services,” ELSTAT said.
“Specifically, 19.5 percent of the total population in 2012 faced financial burden” obtaining these goods and services, it said.
Basic needs include the ability to face unexpected financial expenses, afford a week’s holiday away from home, eat meat every second day, heat one’s home or purchase a home appliance.
This difficulty affected 76.3 of the poor population but also 30.8 percent of the non-poor, the survey found.
[AFP]
