Albania has the highest share of households at risk of poverty among the EU countries, candidate countries and EEA members, according to data compiled by Eurostat. 

The data shows the share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion for households with or without dependent children was just over 50% in Albania as of 2020. No other country topped 40% for either category. 

In candidate country Montenegro and EU member Romania, the share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion was 36.3%. There was also a relatively high risk in candidate countries North Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia of 34.1%, 33.2% and 31.1% respectively, as well as EU member Bulgaria (33.2%). 

Across the EU, the rate was 21.0%. The lowest risk of poverty or social exclusion was in Czechia at 12.1%, followed by Slovenia (13.7%), Slovakia (14.9%) and Finland (15.4%). 

Within the EU there was a mixed picture concerning the risks for households with dependent children. 

In 15 EU member states the population living in households without dependent children had a higher risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2020 than those in households with dependent children, Eurostat said. 

This included all three Baltic states; in Latvia and Estonia, the risk of poverty or social exclusion among people living in households without children was 17.5 and 13.2 percentage points higher respectively than the risk faced by people living in households with dependent children. 

On the other hand, in the other 12 member states the risk was higher for people living in households with dependent children.