Poverty in Austria: 336,000 affected and urgent reform needs!

Poverty in Austria: 336,000 affected and urgent reform needs!

Österreich - On April 29, 2025, statistics Austria published alarming numbers on poverty in Austria. Currently, more than 336,000 people live in absolute poverty, which corresponds to an increase of 130,000 compared to the times before the crisis. The youngest are particularly affected: around 79,000 children and adolescents grow up in absolute poverty conditions, which illustrates the urgency of the situation.

The risk of poverty varies strongly, depending on the educational qualification and living conditions. People with a compulsory school leaving certificate have a risk of poverty of almost 10%. The situation is particularly worrying for single parents, since about a third of them live under the risk of poverty. In addition, the risk of poverty has increased from 28% to 32% for living women in retirement age. The highest poverty risk for unemployed is: around half of these people are at risk of poverty.

urgent reform requirement

Caritas urgently demands reforms to combat poverty and a poverty -resistant social system. Although one -off payments have brought short -term relief, the poverty numbers remain high. Caritas points out that savings in social assistance, which only make up 0.4% of government spending, are not sustainable. Rather, targeted investments in education and childcare, as well as in the support of the unemployed.

A central concern is also the adaptation of the emergency aid to the current price level. The need for a maintenance guarantee for all children, regardless of the circumstances of the parents, is also emphasized by Caritas. In combination with the results from studies on poverty, there is a worrying reality for numerous households in Austria.

poverty dimensions at European level

Payment dimensions, such as those defined in the EU specification of the Europe 2030 strategy, complement the national discourse. People who achieve less than 60% of the median income are considered to be at risk of poverty. According to the Statistics Austria, a significant number of people meet different criteria of social and material disadvantage. These include the inability to afford seven out of 13 characteristics defined as relevant to poverty.

The data of the annual EU-Silc survey further illustrate the problem. The combination of absolute and relative aspects allows conclusions to be drawn about the risk of poverty, but remains without saying how many households actually have difficulties to get by with their income.

For detailed information about the current poverty situation in Austria, you can read the complete press release on [ots.at] (https://www.ots.at/presseaus-sung/ots_20250429_ots0078/armut-festestigt-sich-krising-s-porten-hltlllt-jetzen-jetzen-