The EU's statistical arm said today that 59,000 Maltese were at risk of poverty - 14.6% of the population, according to 2008 figures.
In a survey on income and living conditions in Europe, Eurostat said that 81 million people in the 27 EU member states were at risk of poverty - 17% of the population.
'At risk of poverty' is defined as meaning those living in a household with a disposable income that is below the risk-of-poverty threshold, which is set at 60% of the national median disposable income.
Eurstat said that in Malta, 16,000 were 'severely materially deprived. Such people could not pay rent/mortgage or utility bills, keep their home adequately warm or face unexpected expenses. They also could not afford to eat meat, fish or protein equivalent every second day an cannot afford a car, washing machine, colour TV or telephone.
The EU survey found that 26% of the people in Latvia, 23% in Romania and 21% in Bulgaria are at risk of poverty. The lowest figures are in the Czech Republic (9%), the Netherlands and Slovakia (11%).
President George Abela spoke about poverty in Malta this morning during a Republic Day ceremony
He noted that in the last Household Budgetary Survey, it resulted that 14 per cent of the Maltese population was at risk of poverty.
“It seems that the number of those who are finding it difficult to make ends meet by means of their income is increasing,” the President said.
“It is possible that the gap between those who are in the higher income bracket and those whose income does not reach adequate levels is widening.”
“I feel we need to commit ourselves to a collective effort in order to find practical ways to devise solutions. We need to find out why a section of the population is lagging behind.
“We need to discover, for instance, the reasons why a section of our youth is not availing itself of the existing facilities in education, for education is one of the determining factors which can make a difference so that these people may improve their lot.
“I feel we have not yet found the way to effectively fight the phenomenon of a section of the low-income population, more prone to social problems and lacking a sufficient level of education, being concentrated around the Grand Harbour area.”
Financial assistance, though essential, was not the only way in which such families could be helped, Dr Abela said.
Other forms of aid may be offered such as, more education and training on how to better utilise one’s income, how to choose the more essential priorities to employ more effectively one’s income and how to develop interpersonal family relations that strengthen ties between family members.