What can't Cypriots afford? Eurostat also provides data for Poland.

In Cyprus, the percentage of people unable to regularly participate in recreational activities due to financial constraints has decreased. In 2025, it stood at 6.3%, compared to 8.7% the previous year. The island also recorded the lowest percentage of residents in the European Union who could not afford a meal with meat, fish, or a vegetarian equivalent every other day—1.2%.

We also examined Poland's results. 6.9% of residents reported a lack of money for regular recreation, 3% for a specific meal, and 0.6% for a home internet connection. In each of these three indicators, Poland performs better than the EU average, but financial difficulties are more common than in Cyprus.

Fewer people are giving up recreation

Data published by Eurostat on Wednesday, October 7, concerns living conditions in 2025. One of the expenses analyzed is regular participation in recreational activities.

In Cyprus, the percentage of people who could not afford them fell by 2.4 percentage points over the year. Poland also saw an improvement, from 8% in 2024 to 6.9% in 2025.

The European Union average was 12.1%. Croatians reported the problem least often, with a rate of 3.9%. Greece was at the other end of the list, with a score of 27.3%.

Cyprus with the lowest meal score

When it comes to being able to eat meat, poultry, fish, or a vegetarian equivalent every other day, Cyprus scored lowest in the EU. The figure of 1.2% remained unchanged compared to 2024.

In Poland, the situation worsened slightly. The rate increased from 2.8% to 3%. However, it was still significantly lower than the EU average of 8.5%.

The highest percentage of people declaring such difficulty was recorded in Romania — 18.1%.

The question concerns financial possibilities, not dietary choices. A person who voluntarily gives up meat is not therefore considered unable to afford such a meal.

The Internet is less of a burden on the household budget

In Cyprus, 0.2% of residents declared they had no money for a home internet connection, compared to 0.3% a year earlier.

In Poland, the percentage also fell: from 0.8% to 0.6%. The EU average was 2%.

Finland had the lowest score at 0.1%, and Romania the highest at 6.2%. The index measures the ability to afford internet access. It does not measure connection speed or network coverage.

What do these numbers say?

The ranking highlights specific constraints on daily spending. Both Cyprus and Poland fare better than the EU average in all three areas analyzed.

However, this is not a comprehensive ranking of residents' wealth. The data is insufficient to assess housing costs, wage levels, or all the other burdens on household budgets.

A comparison with the previous year also shows different trends. In Cyprus, access to recreation and the internet improved, while the meal indicator remained stable. In Poland, the first two indicators also improved, while difficulties in financing the indicated meal occurred slightly more frequently.

Sources: Eurostat, CNA