EU Agricultural Economic briefs-Poverty in rural areas of the EU

While the highest absolute number of people at risk of poverty is found in densely populated (urban) areas of the EU-15, poverty in thinly populated (rural) areas is a widespread phenomenon throughout the EU. The risk of poverty is higher in thinly populated areas than in any other type of region. It is particularly prevalent in the EU-12 and in the southern regions of the Mediterranean countries (Spain, Italy and Greece). Young people in thinly populated areas of the EU12 have the highest risk of poverty among all age groups. This lack of opportunities among future young professionals could lead to a further loss of population in the thinly populated areas of the EU12, which already presents negative migration rates.2 In the EU-15, the risk of poverty is highest for older people, indicating a different dynamic than in the EU-12. Women are at a higher risk of poverty than men, regardless of where they live. Any intervention aimed at lifting people out of poverty should therefore ensure that women are reached and monitor impacts differentiated by gender