If good numbers don’t lie, bad numbers shouldn’t lie either. It’s only fair.
A fast rising trend of social inequality in Cyprus is clearly indicated across the numbers of a 2025 Eurostat report, also bringing to the fore a very different welfare state philosophy between our own country and the policies implemented in the Scandinavian north.
Nevertheless, the island does manage to creep over the inequality management European average line, with authorities however sadly lacking in supporting groups that require urgent financial assistance in work productive ages, simply put, before they retire.
While the Swedes and the Finns invest in a protection net which insulates all age groups, as the numbers indicate, Cyprus persists in its pension centred model, which waits for someone to leave work in order to have a decent life. An ‘all eggs in one basket’ approach which further stokes social inequality trends.
Scandinavian countries choose to share state support in a more balanced manner throughout the population, pulling more weight on subsidies towards families, housing support and unemployment benefits, thus making sure they stand behind the citizen at every stage of their lives, bo matter where they find themselves.
And not just securing they get an ok pension when they retire after toiling in the inequalities of the lower middle class.
Denmark is the only country where social benefits are higher than pensions, with both numbers measured as Purchased Power Standard for the sake of statistical analysis and comparisons. The same is true of Sweden and Finland, while Cyprus is almost four times less, with Greece around the same level.
Again, what the numbers of social inequality show is that pension cannot be the only safety net for any family, replacing other powerful welfare benefits that might go a long way towards improving personal and professional life.
In addition, if Cypriots suddenly finds themselves out of work or need state support prior to retirement, the money or the tools available by the relevant services, are extremely limited, as indicated on the Gini inequality index.
Inequality in Finland is at an all time low of 27.2%, with Sweden at 28,2%, while Cyprus is just over the European average line at 31,2%, but worse off than 2024, an indication that despite a pension bump, wealth produced is still highly concentrated in even less hands, leaving vulnerable groups dependent on a low benefit.
Former Eastern bloc are doing much better than us. At 23%, Slovakia has one of the fairest income distribution in Europe, with Czecchia at 24% and Poland following at 24.9%. They are even more balanced than Germany or Sweden.
