The Position of European Union Countries According to Poverty Before and After the COVID-19 Crisis

The purpose of the paper is to evaluate and present the position of the European Union countries according to the poverty level before and after the COVID-19 crisis, combining five individual indicators. The GRA (Grey Relational Analysis) method was used to calculate the composite poverty indicator. To assess poverty, the study uses criteria from the official database of the European Commission and calculates the aggregate index for 2019 and 2022. All criteria in the model have the same relative importance because the method of equal weight coefficients is applied. The paper proved that the Czech Republic and Slovenia had the most favourable indicators of poverty in both periods, while Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, and Latvia occupied a critical position. In general, the countries of Southern Europe and the Baltic countries have poor poverty indicators. Compared to 2019, according to the country rankings, the poverty level is significantly higher in Finland, Germany, and Hungary, while after the pandemic, the following countries made considerable progress in reducing poverty: Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Cyprus. The presented results can be useful to decision-makers at the macro level in the field of economic, social, and sustainable development policy.