Exposure to material deprivation among persons with disabilities in Romania

The trend is more pronounced among people without disabilities than among those with disabilities: between 2015 and 2023, the proportion of people without disabilities suffering from material and social deprivation halved, from a peak of 32% to 15%. The decline in material and social deprivation among people with disabilities was not as pronounced: from 54% to 37% among those with severe disabilities, and from 38% to 27% among those with mild disabilities.

Different categories of the population are exposed to the undesirable phenomenon of material and social deprivation in different ways. One of the social categories most exposed to this risk is people with disabilities. The Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania, has published an infographic analyzing statistical data on the exposure of people with mild or severe disabilities to severe material and social deprivation.

In 2023, 37% of people with severe disabilities in Romania suffered from severe material and social deprivation, according to Eurostat data. High values are also recorded in Bulgaria and Hungary (27% and 25% of people with severe disabilities, respectively). By comparison, in the Czech Republic, only 6% of people with such disabilities are in a situation of severe deprivation.

As for people with mild disabilities, 27% of them in Romania are in a situation of severe material and social deprivation. Bulgaria has a similar situation, where the proportion is 28%. At the opposite end of the spectrum, in Slovenia and Estonia, only 3% of those with mild disabilities suffer from this type of deprivation.

The good news is that data published by Eurostat show that Romania is experiencing a downward trend in the proportion of people suffering from severe material and social deprivation. The trend is more pronounced among people with disabilities than among those without disabilities: between 2015 and 2023, the proportion of people with disabilities suffering from material and social deprivation halved, from a peak of 32% to 15%. The decline in material and social deprivation among people with disabilities was not as pronounced: from 49.54% to 34% among those with severe disabilities and from 38% to 27% among those with mild disabilities.

The bad news is that in Romania, the proportion of people with disabilities suffering from deprivation is the highest in the European Union: one in four people with mild disabilities and one in three people with severe disabilities are in a situation of severe material and social deprivation. This is compared to the European Union average of one in ten people with mild disabilities and one in seven with severe disabilities experiencing severe material and social deprivation.

A person is considered to be experiencing severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) if they lack the items necessary and desired to lead an adequate life. The indicator is defined as the proportion of the population experiencing an involuntary lack of at least 7 out of 13 deprivation items, such as the ability to afford sufficient food, adequately heat their home, purchase clothing, go on vacation, and others.

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The data used in the infographic was taken from Eurostat: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_dm010/default/table?lang=en&category=dsb.dsb_ilc.dsb_ilcms

Data processing and text design: Mircea Kivu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL