Eurostat data suggests Romania, Bulgaria face poverty risk
19/01/2010
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Romania and Bulgaria are among the EU members whose citizens face the highest risk of poverty in the bloc, data supplied by the EU's statistical office, Eurostat, said on Monday (January 18th). Latvia tops the list, followed by Romania and Bulgaria. According to the data, 23% of Romanians are exposed to the risk of poverty, compared to 21% in Bulgaria. However, in terms of material deprivation, Bulgarians are first, with 51% of the population forced to deprive themselves of some material benefits. Romania is next with 50%. The lowest risk was reported in Luxembourg, with 4%. (AP, Dnevnik, Financiarul - 18/01/10)