One out of five people in Malta is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to data published on Thursday.

The National Statistics Office said in a statement that according to the EU's statistics on income and living, in 2020 the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate in Malta was estimated at 19.9 per cent of the population - or 100,712 people.

The at-risk-of-poverty threshold is set at 60 per cent of the national equivalised income: in 2020 it stood at €9,744.

Throughout the year, 16.9 per cent of the population living in private households were estimated to be at-risk-of poverty. A quarter of these were aged 65 and over.

What does it mean to be deprived?

The material and social deprivation indicator goes beyond the material dimension.

Apart from being able to replace worn-out furniture and worn-out clothes, this statistic measures social pursuits, such as leisure activities and meeting with family and friends.

In 2020, a total of 25,644 people, equivalent to 5.1 per cent of the population living in private households, were estimated to be severely deprived.