The EU has revised its material deprivation index from the existing 9-item to a new 13-item index following analysis of data from around 50 material deprivation items, derived from the UK Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey indicators and collected in EU-SILC 2009. Read more about the analyses behind this new index.

National proportions of deprived children vary hugely across EU countries, from 5 to 10% in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg and Slovenia to around 70% in Bulgaria and Romania. Read more about the new European Union child deprivation index - adopted in 2018.

Since 1997, Ireland has developed national policies to tackle poverty and social exclusion based on measures of material deprivation, those at risk from low income and those in consistent poverty with both material deprviation and lwo income. The material deprviation indicators were derived from sureys on the necessities of life in Ireland. Read more...