Only three percent of the Maltese population could not afford to buy a car in 2007, as against an average of nine percent in EU countries, a Eurostat survey has found.

According to the survey, four percent of the Maltese population could not afford to buy a computer, against an average nine percent in EU countries.

The survey, on living conditions in the EU27, found that a third of the EU27 population lived in a household that could not afford an unexpected expenditure.

Seven percent lived in a household that had been unable to pay as scheduled utility bills for their main dwelling in the last 12 months and three percent in a household that had been unable to pay either rent or mortgage payment.

In 2007, 80% of the EU27 population lived in a household that possessed a car, nine percent in a household that could not afford one and 11 percent in a household that had other reasons not to possess a car.

A car was least affordable for Romanians (56 percent could not afford one), followed by Latvians (30 percent) and Slovakians (24 percent).

Only two percent could not afford a car in Cypris and Luxembourg followed by three percent in France, Italy, Malta and Slovenia.

In 2007, 68 percent of the EU27 population lived in a household that possessed a computer, nine percent in a household that could not afford one and 23 percent in a household that had other reasons not to possess a computer.

The biggest percentage of people who could not afford one was in Romania (43 percent), followed by Latvia (24 percent) and Poland (21 percent). The lowest (two percent) was in Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden followed by Germany, Malta and the United Kingdom (four percent).