For millions of Europeans, a simple evening at the cinema or a weekly football match is a luxury they cannot afford. New data from Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, reveals that in 2025, roughly 46 million adults across the bloc were unable to take part in leisure activities on a regular basis because of cost. That translates to 12.1% of the EU's population aged 16 and over.
The figures, which cover 33 European countries, show stark contrasts. In Greece, more than one in four people (27.3%) faced this financial barrier, the highest rate in the EU. At the other end of the scale, only 3.9% of people in Croatia reported the same problem. Romania (23.3%), Lithuania (17.9%), Latvia (16.2%), North Macedonia (15.9%) and Hungary (15.8%) also recorded shares above 15%.
Income is not the whole story
One might assume that richer countries would automatically have lower rates of leisure deprivation. But the data tells a more nuanced story. While there is a moderate statistical link between median income and the share of people who cannot afford leisure activities, income accounts for less than a fifth of the variation between countries.
Take Czechia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These four countries have almost identical median incomes, all hovering between 17,097 and 17,190 purchasing power standards (PPS). Yet the share of people unable to afford leisure activities ranges from just 4.1% in Czechia to 10.7% in Estonia, 16.2% in Latvia and 17.9% in Lithuania. Similarly, France and Cyprus have nearly the same median income (23,792 and 23,782 PPS respectively), but the French rate (13.9%) is more than double that of Cyprus (6.3%).
Greece, with the highest rate of 27.3%, has a median income of 13,612 PPS, well below the EU average of 22,638 PPS. Yet Turkey (8.7%) and Serbia (9.9%) have lower incomes but far lower rates of leisure deprivation. Croatia, Czechia and Slovakia also manage to keep rates low despite incomes below the EU median.
So what explains these differences? The analysis suggests that factors beyond income, such as the cost of leisure activities, cultural attitudes, and the availability of free or low-cost options, play a significant role. For instance, in countries like France, where the cinema industry faces its own financial pressures, ticket prices may be a bigger hurdle than in countries with more subsidised cultural offerings.
Gender gap persists across the bloc
The data also reveals a consistent gender gap. Across the EU, 13% of women said they could not afford regular leisure activities, compared with 11.1% of men. The gap was particularly pronounced in Lithuania (5.1 percentage points), Romania (4.7 pp), Denmark (3.9 pp) and France (3.7 pp). Only in Malta was the difference negligible, at 0.1 percentage point.
This gender disparity is not just a matter of income. It may reflect differences in how men and women allocate household budgets, as well as the fact that women often have less free time due to care responsibilities. The growing trend of 'plot twist' travel might be a luxury that remains out of reach for many women, who are more likely to prioritise family needs over personal leisure.
Poverty and inequality
Unsurprisingly, poverty is a major factor. Across the EU, people living below the poverty line were more than three times as likely to miss out on regular leisure activities as those above it, with 29% of the former unable to afford them. However, the analysis found only a weak, statistically insignificant link between income inequality (as measured by the Gini coefficient) and leisure affordability. This suggests that while poverty is a clear barrier, the overall distribution of income within a country is not a reliable predictor.
The way people respond to surveys may also skew the results. A Eurostat working paper by Anne-Catherine Guio and colleagues notes that "poor people may report that they do not want things, simply because they cannot afford them." The paper found that leisure was the item most often not seen as a necessity, meaning some respondents may not even consider it a legitimate need.
These findings have broader implications for well-being. Numerous studies link social and leisure participation to better mental health and lower rates of depression and anxiety. As European policymakers debate budgetary priorities, ensuring that leisure is accessible to all could be seen not as a luxury, but as a public health investment.
