As millions of Europeans pack their bags for summer getaways, a significant minority will stay home not by choice but by necessity. New Eurostat data for 2025 show that nearly 30% of EU residents aged 16 and over could not afford a week of annual holiday away from home — a share that has edged up by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.
The bloc-wide figure masks stark regional differences. In Romania, Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary, more than half of the adult population reported being unable to finance a week-long break. At the other end of the spectrum, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands recorded the lowest shares, with fewer than one in ten residents facing the same constraint.
Encouragingly, the long-term trend is positive: compared with a decade ago, the share of Europeans unable to afford a holiday has fallen by 7.7 percentage points. Yet the recent uptick suggests that progress may be stalling, particularly as the cost of accommodation, transport and food continues to climb.
Why holiday poverty persists
Economists and social policy experts point to a combination of rising prices, stagnant purchasing power and speculative pressures in the tourism sector. In popular destinations like Barcelona, Lisbon and Dubrovnik, short-term rental platforms have driven up housing costs, which in turn inflates the price of holiday lets. Meanwhile, budget airlines have reduced capacity on some routes, pushing up fares.
For trade unions, the issue is fundamentally about the quality of jobs. “Taking a break with family or friends is important for our physical and mental health,” said Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation. “After working hard all year, it is the least working people should be able to expect to afford, but every year it looks more like becoming a luxury for the few.”
Lynch argues that the figures reflect a broader labour market failure. “These figures show that Europe faces a severe quality jobs emergency. It’s the direct result of governments and employers choosing insecure, low-paid, non-union jobs that leave millions trapped in precarious work without the benefits of collective bargaining, facing unsafe working conditions, including extreme heat.”
She also drew attention to the irony of the holiday season: “While politicians take their summer holidays, workers are fighting wildfires, working in fields and warehouses in record heat and with no guarantee to be paid enough to afford a holiday themselves.”
The disparity is especially acute among young people. Eurostat’s 2025 data on severe material and social deprivation show that Romania, Greece and Bulgaria have the highest shares of young adults (16–29) experiencing such deprivation — a category that includes the inability to afford a week away from home.
Staycations dominate European travel
When Europeans do travel, they overwhelmingly stay within their own borders. In 2024, seven out of ten trips taken by EU residents were domestic, according to Eurostat. Romania led the way with 90% of trips spent at home, followed by Spain (88%) and France, Portugal and Greece (each 85%).
By contrast, Luxembourg residents took the highest share of trips to other EU countries (78%), followed by Belgium (62%) and Malta (48%). These patterns reflect both geography and income: smaller and wealthier nations tend to have higher cross-border mobility.
The rise of the staycation is also a cultural shift. As foodie staycations grow in popularity, many Europeans are rediscovering their own regions. Yet for those who cannot afford any break, the choice is not between a foreign trip and a local one — it is between a holiday and no holiday at all.
For policymakers, the challenge is to ensure that the economic recovery translates into better living standards for all. As the European Commission prepares its annual country-specific recommendations, the issue of holiday poverty may seem minor compared with inflation or energy security. But as Lynch notes, the ability to take a break is a basic marker of social inclusion — and one that Europe cannot afford to ignore.
