Eurostat presented these figures, noting that the figure had fallen by only 7.7 percentage points compared to 2015.
Romania — at the bottom of the ranking
The gap between countries remains enormous. In Romania, 61.4% of the population could not afford a week-long vacation away from home—the highest figure among the countries included in the comparison. In Greece, the share was 46.6%; in Bulgaria and Hungary, it was 39.1% in each country. Italy also ranked above the EU average: 35.7% of the country’s residents could not afford a week-long vacation away from home.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are three countries. In Luxembourg, the figure was 10.6%; in Sweden, 12.4%; and in the Netherlands, 12.8%.
These figures do not mean that all these people actually went a year without a vacation. Eurostat measures something else: whether a household had the financial resources to pay for a week of annual vacation away from home. If they lack the funds, a person falls into this category regardless of whether they wanted to go on vacation or not.
One-third of Europeans cannot travel
Back in 2015, 35.2% of EU residents could not afford a one-week vacation. By 2025, that share had fallen to 27.5%.
However, this improvement was unevenly distributed across Europe. According to Eurostat, the figure rose over the decade in only five countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Austria.
The most notable increases were in Norway and Sweden. However, even after this increase, these countries remain among the European nations with the lowest share of people who do not have access to a week of vacation.
Germany was also among the exceptions: about 21% of its residents could not afford a week’s vacation away from home. In France, the figure was about 23%.
The highest figures are concentrated mainly in Southern and Southeastern Europe. Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, and Hungary significantly exceed the EU average.
At the same time, long-term trends show that some countries that were previously at the bottom of the rankings have made significant progress. The figure has fallen particularly sharply in Croatia and Serbia, as well as in Cyprus, Ireland, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
This means that the current map of Europe differs from what it was ten years ago: in many countries, the share of the population for whom a week-long vacation is financially out of reach has decreased significantly.
What exactly do the statistics measure?
The Eurostat indicator relates to the financial situation of households, not to tourism activity. It refers to the ability to afford one week of annual vacation away from home. This does not necessarily mean a trip abroad or an expensive resort: the statistics do not specify a fixed cost for such a vacation. Therefore, two families capable of taking a week-long vacation at completely different costs will be placed in the same category in the statistics—as long as they can afford such a vacation.
Conversely, the absence of a trip does not in itself mean that a vacation is financially out of reach.
This is precisely why the indicator is useful first and foremost as a measure of the population’s financial well-being and its ability to spend money on more than just essential expenses.
Tourism Is Growing, but Europeans Are Staying Home
The contrast is particularly striking against the backdrop of overall growth in the tourism market. In 2025, approximately 3.1 billion overnight stays were recorded in EU accommodations—2.2% more than the previous year. Growth was recorded in 24 of the 27 EU countries.
In other words, European tourism continues to set records, but the opportunity to participate in this market is unevenly distributed among the continent’s residents.
As a result, two trends coexist: Europe as a whole is traveling more and more, while for a significant portion of its population, a week-long vacation away from home remains an expense that the family budget cannot afford.
