LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey for 2023 revealed a concerning situation for the Maltese households. The survey indicates that 6.7% do not afford regular social gatherings with friends or family for a drink or meal, and 11.1% unable to participate in leisure activities regularly. 30% of respondents declared their inability to afford a one-week annual holiday away from home. Despite Malta has registered one of Europès biggest economic growth, some 16% of the Maltese residents declared that their household would not be able to settle an unexpected financial expense of 770 and over. The latest survey revealed that the material and social deprivation rate stood at 9.2% while the severe material and social deprivation rate stood at 4.1%.
The EU-SILC survey aims to collect comparable data on income, health and disability, employment, and material deprivation. It assesses households’ perceived capacity to afford a set of 13 standard items, providing insights into material and social deprivation indicators.
Additionally, 6.8% struggled to keep their homes adequately warm in winter, and 5.7% faced arrears on mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, or other loan payments.
Furthermore, personal indicators highlighted that less than 5.7% of the surveyed population could not afford basic needs such as replacing worn-out clothes with new ones or owning two pairs of properly-fitting shoes. Notably, 5.6% of children and 3.7% of adults aged 18-64 were living in severely materially and socially deprived households.
Moreover, households reported problems with their main dwellings, with pollution and noise being the most frequently cited issues. Among these households, 45.6% reported at least one problem, indicating a rise compared to the previous year.
– photo: Agenzia Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
