Nearly one in four people at risk of poverty in UK
Almost one in four people in the UK are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to the latest official statistics released today.
The figure of 23% is a percentage below the EU average, the Office for National Statistics said, but higher than France (19%), Germany (20%), the Netherlands and Sweden (both 16%).
The UK's severe material deprivation rate stands at 5.1%, broadly unchanged since 2005, when comparible figures were first produced. The current EU average stands at 8.8%.
The ONS figures on Social Exclusion and Poverty covered the period from 2005 to 2011.
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