Winter poverty: The EU countries that struggle the most to heat their homes

Eurostat research has found that about 11% of people in the EU cannot keep their houses warm enough.

The highest shares were reported in Spain and Portugal (both 20.8%), followed by Bulgaria (20.7%), Lithuania (20.0%) and Greece (19.2%).

Luxembourg had the lowest rates (2.1%), trailed by Finland (2.6%), Slovenia (3.6%), Austria (3.9%), and Estonia (4.1%).

Which are the most vulnerable social groups?

The most vulnerable social groups are single people with children.

Almost 19% of them struggle with low temperatures in their households. Mediterranean nations are the hardest hit, with 42% in Cyprus, 34.5% in Greece and 34% in Spain.

Single women are the second most vulnerable group, with 14% unable to stay adequately warm. The worst rates for single women were recorded in Bulgaria (34%), Portugal (31%) and Lithuania (31%).

Couples with two children reported the lowest rate of people with such problems: 7.6%.

The lowest rate in Europe reported in the Eurostat analysis for this social group was in Switzerland: 0.2%.