Brussels: Europe and Arabs

In 2021, nearly a quarter (23.6%) of all self-employed 'private sector' workers aged 18 and over in the EU were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Compared to 2020 and looking at the state of activity, this was the only category that saw a deterioration in the state of poverty, rising from 22.6% to 23.6%. This is according to figures published by the European Statistical Office "Eurostat" Thursday in Brussels, and also stated that:

From 2020 to 2021, the poverty or social exclusion risk rates for the unemployed, retired and employed decreased by 1.6, 0.6, and 0.3 percentage points, respectively.
At the national level, in 2021 Romania, Portugal and Estonia had the highest proportion of self-employed people at risk of poverty and social exclusion (70.8%, 32.4% and 32.2%). Romania, in particular, experienced the highest increase from 2020 to 2021 (5.1 percentage points).

In contrast, the poverty situation of the self-employed improved in 11 countries, with Ireland and Hungary reporting the highest declines in these rates from 2020 to 2021 (-3.2 and -3.7 percentage points, respectively).
in Belgium
Between April and June, 16.1 percent of the Belgian population between the ages of 16 and 74 experienced difficulties or significant difficulties in making ends meet. This is much more than it was in the third quarter of 2021, when that percentage was still at 11.7 percent, according to figures from, the Belgian Statistical Office.
The largest proportion is in the Brussels-Capital Region at 29.4 per cent. It was followed by Wallonia (21.1 per cent) and Flanders (10.8 per cent). Among the 20 percent of low-income people, it is difficult or very difficult for 34.2 percent to make ends meet.

Also, more than a third of single parents (34 percent) find it difficult or extremely difficult to make ends meet, compared to 17.6 percent of them in the third quarter of 2021. Students (18.2 percent) and retirees (15.5 percent) also report that it's not easy cover their expenses.

Although the proportion of people affected among employees is much lower, it is notable that having a job does not protect 10.4 percent of employees from (major) difficulties in meeting their needs. This is a 60 percent increase compared to the fall of 2021.

Fortunately, difficulties in meeting their needs do not seem to affect their overall level of happiness. That remained fairly stable at 66 percent