The survey results released by Cystat on Tuesday showed that in 2017, a total of 205,900 people (23.9%) living in the government-controlled areas were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, an improvement compared to previous years.

Households at risk of poverty or social exclusion are those whose disposable income is below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold (Arop) or are living in severely materially-deprived households (SMD).

In line with an improving trend over the previous years, the figure was lower than that of 2016 (25.2%) and 2015 (28.9%).

This improvement was seen for both men and women, at 23.1% and 24.7% respectively, though women throughout the years were more at risk than men.

“All indicators recording either income inequality or poverty risk and social exclusion have returned to pre-crisis levels and are close or even in a better position than the EU average,” Georgiades said.

Stressing the need for further improvement, Georgiades said that the goal of government policy is the enhancement of social cohesion in light of which the government strived for full employment and for measures that ensure the profits from economic development reach the bulk of the population.

Source: Cyprus Mail