Portugal remains one of the most unequal countries in the European Union, with a fifth of the population (2.1 million people) living in poverty and/ or social exclusion, according to a study released today. In other words, very little has changed in recent decades, in spite of all the policies put in place. In the absence of any kind of social security provision, poverty would be 40.3%, warns researcher Carlos Farinha Rodrigues, in an update of data from the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation’s “Portugal Desigual” project. The situation is “not unrelated to the rise in prices, particularly housing prices”, he emphasises.
Portugal “still one of most unequal in EU” – study
Without social security provision, poverty in Portugal would affect over 40% of the population. Image: Mário Cruz/ Lusa
