9.5% of the Belgian population is materially and socially deprived. This corresponds to 1,083,000 persons. In the Brussels-Capital Region, this is 17.5% of the population, in the Walloon Region 14.4% and in the Flemish Region 5.4%. These are the first results of the survey on income and living conditions in 2022 (EU-SILC). More than 6,700 households were asked about thirteen expenses they can afford or not and about their social contacts. Those who cannot afford five of those aspects are ‘materially and socially deprived’. Those who cannot afford seven of those aspects are ‘severely materially and socially deprived’. In 2022, 5.8% of the population was in the latter situation.

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