The latest survey conducted by the National Statistics Office on income and living conditions in Malta has once again underlined a disturbing trend that refuses to go away.

In 2013, practically one in four of the population was at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion. This shocking figure consists of people who fell below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, lived in severely deprived private households or who were under 59 years old but working less than 20 per cent of their total work potential.

The NSO findings also show that 19.4 per cent of the population was materially deprived and 9.5 per cent severely materially deprived. In coming to these figures, the statistics office questioned respondents on their ability to face unexpected expenses, take holidays, keep up with payments for utilities or mortgages, food consumption, ownership of car, telephone, TV and washing machine and even their ability to keep warm in the winter months.

Clearly, what affluent people generally take for granted others do not and there are many who are simply not coping.

Compared with figures for the previous year, the 2013 statistics show a marginal increase in this ‘hidden’ poverty that has no face and no voice and this notwithstanding much lip service from numerous quarters on the so-called fight against poverty.

Eurostat figures show that there has been practically no change in the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Malta for over a decade. In 2013, the average at-risk-of-poverty rate in the European Union stood at 16.7 per cent, one percentage point higher than Malta’s. Worst off countries included those from eastern Europe and southern European that were hard hit by economic crises. Central and northern European countries generally fared better.

That Malta has successfully managed to weather the storm of the financial crisis is widely recognised and the government’s strategy has been to continue to build upon the achievements of the previous administration. Standard and Poor’s recent credit rating report confirmed Malta’s BBB+/A-2 rating and reaffirmed the outlook of a stable economy.

The credit agency has acknowledged Malta’s robust economic growth and expects that the economy will grow more rapidly than the eurozone as a whole, with growth put at three per cent for 2014 and 2.5 per cent forecast for this year.

Yet, despite repeated positive economic statistics, poverty and risk thereof remain a major problem among a large percentage of the population. So much so that among the initiatives launched recently by The Alfred Mizzi Foundation is the introduction of soup kitchens to feed families living in poverty in Malta. Similar initiatives have been undertaken across Europe in the wake of the economic crisis, including the opening of soup kitchens and shelters for the poor in the UK by the Knights of Malta.

The Labour government, in its electoral programme, was very ambitious when it set as its target the eradication of poverty from Malta. As social policy minister and now as President, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has been the standard-bearer in the fight against poverty and social exclusion in this country.

In her Republic Day speech, the President said a fair and democratic republic could never tolerate thousands of people living in poverty or at risk of poverty.

In reality, there will always be those who fall behind and need a helping hand. When a society is affluent, it must ensure that the wealth of a country is shared as justly as possible. The planned opening of soup kitchens only serves to show that there is still a long way to go before poverty is ever eradicated.