Work, poverty and redistribution
How much poverty remains among people who already work?
27/27 countries paired. Missing or withheld: none.
Greece: X 9.90, Y 19.60. Paired-country medians: X 8.40, Y 15.60. EU27: X 8.30, Y 16.30.
Country pattern
X: In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate, employed adults 18+ (%)
Y: At-risk-of-poverty rate after transfers, all ages (%)
Dashed lines are unweighted medians of paired countries, including Greece.
Association and sensitivity
Spearman ρ: 0.757. Leave-one-country-out range: 0.732 to 0.798. Descriptive only; no significance or causal verdict. Results depend on year and cohort.
Counterexamples to a simple story
Countries in median quadrants opposite to the proposed pattern, not a statistical rejection: Germany, Croatia, Luxembourg, Portugal
Exact country values
| Country | Year | In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate, employed adults 18+ (%) | At-risk-of-poverty rate after transfers, all ages (%) | x_flag | y_flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2025 | 4.10 | 10.90 | ||
| Bulgaria | 2025 | 11.50 | 21.20 | ||
| Czechia | 2025 | 4.00 | 9.60 | ||
| Denmark | 2025 | 5.90 | 11.80 | ||
| Germany | 2025 | 6.80 | 16.10 | ||
| Estonia | 2025 | 10.10 | 19.50 | ||
| Ireland | 2025 | 5.70 | 13.00 | ||
| Greece | 2025 | 9.90 | 19.60 | ||
| Spain | 2025 | 11.20 | 19.50 | ||
| France | 2025 | 8.70 | 16.30 | ||
| Croatia | 2025 | 7.90 | 19.50 | ||
| Italy | 2025 | 10.20 | 18.60 | ||
| Cyprus | 2025 | 6.80 | 14.90 | ||
| Latvia | 2025 | 8.70 | 22.00 | ||
| Lithuania | 2025 | 8.40 | 22.60 | p | p |
| Luxembourg | 2025 | 9.50 | 14.80 | b | b |
| Hungary | 2025 | 8.10 | 14.00 | ||
| Malta | 2025 | 9.20 | 16.90 | ||
| Netherlands | 2025 | 5.30 | 13.40 | ||
| Austria | 2025 | 8.90 | 15.90 | ||
| Poland | 2025 | 8.40 | 13.20 | ||
| Portugal | 2025 | 8.60 | 15.40 | ||
| Romania | 2025 | 10.80 | 18.40 | ||
| Slovenia | 2025 | 5.60 | 14.30 | ||
| Slovakia | 2025 | 6.50 | 12.20 | b | b |
| Finland | 2025 | 3.10 | 13.40 | ||
| Sweden | 2025 | 7.10 | 15.60 |
Greece through time
Separate observed levels, not a pooled time-series correlation. Flags remain visible; a break does not establish a continuous trend.
In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate, employed adults 18+ (%)
At-risk-of-poverty rate after transfers, all ages (%)
Exact historical values
| Year | In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate, employed adults 18+ (%) | At-risk-of-poverty rate after transfers, all ages (%) | x_flag | y_flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 13.50 | 20.70 | b | |
| 2004 | 13.10 | 19.90 | ||
| 2005 | 12.90 | 19.60 | ||
| 2006 | 13.80 | 20.50 | ||
| 2007 | 14.20 | 20.30 | ||
| 2008 | 14.30 | 20.10 | ||
| 2009 | 13.80 | 19.70 | ||
| 2010 | 13.80 | 20.10 | ||
| 2011 | 11.90 | 21.40 | ||
| 2012 | 15.10 | 23.10 | ||
| 2013 | 13.10 | 23.10 | ||
| 2014 | 13.40 | 22.10 | ||
| 2015 | 13.40 | 21.40 | ||
| 2016 | 14.10 | 21.20 | ||
| 2017 | 12.90 | 20.20 | ||
| 2018 | 11.00 | 18.50 | ||
| 2019 | 10.20 | 17.90 | ||
| 2020 | 10.10 | 17.70 | ||
| 2021 | 11.30 | 19.60 | ||
| 2022 | 10.60 | 18.80 | ||
| 2023 | 9.90 | 18.90 | ||
| 2024 | 10.70 | 19.60 | ||
| 2025 | 9.90 | 19.60 |
Look beneath the averages
Impact of social transfers excluding pensions on poverty reduction
15.52 · 2025 · .
Impact of social transfers excluding pensions on poverty reduction; freq=Annual; unit=Percentage; statinfo=Median equivalised income; rskpovth=Below 60%; age=Total; sex=Total
Severe material and social deprivation rate (SMSD)
14.90 · 2025 · .
Severe material and social deprivation rate (SMSD); freq=Annual; age=Total; sex=Total; unit=Percentage
Employment rate, aged 20-64
71.00 · 2025 · .
Employment rate, aged 20-64; freq=Annual; indic_em=Total employment (resident population concept - LFS); unit=Percentage of total population; age=From 20 to 64 years; sex=Total
Eurostat · 2026-10-25