Cyprus Employment Growth Surpasses 2% In Fourth Quarter 2025

Provisional figures released by the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat) show that the country’s workforce reached an estimated 519,116 in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 2% increase compared with the same period a year earlier.

Steady Expansion Across Critical Sectors

Employment data indicate that 466,265 individuals were employed, while 52,851 were self-employed. The figures show activity in both wage employment and self-employment. Sectors reporting increases included wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, construction, and manufacturing.

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Increased Workforce Hours Underpin Economic Resilience

Alongside the increase in employment, actual hours worked reached 244.17 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, representing a 3.3% increase compared with the same period in 2024. The figures indicate higher labor input across the economy during the period.

Rigorous Data Compilation Strengthens Confidence

The estimates are based on data from several official sources, including the Employment and Job Vacancies Survey, the Labour Force Survey, the Social Insurance Register, and information from the Treasury of the Republic of Cyprus. The combination of these datasets provides a broader statistical basis for assessing employment trends and labor market activity.

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Cyprus’ Poverty And Social Exclusion Risk Stands At 17.1%

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 20, 2026

Cyprus recorded a poverty or social exclusion risk rate of 17.1% in 2025, below the European Union average of 20.9%, according to new Eurostat figures. Across the bloc, however, more than 92 million people continued to face the risk, highlighting persistent social and economic inequalities.

More Than 92 Million People At Risk Across The EU

A total of 92.7 million people across the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025, equivalent to just over one in five residents.

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Cyprus is treated as a single statistical region because of its size, unlike many member states divided into multiple regions for comparison. Its national figure therefore provides an overall picture but does not capture differences between districts or communities.

Regional Gaps Remain Stark Across Europe

The risk varied considerably across the EU, with the highest rates concentrated largely in southern, eastern and outermost regions. In 24 of the 243 regions with available data, at least 31.5% of the population faced poverty or social exclusion.

These regions were located in Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, France and Romania, as well as Brussels in Belgium and Bremen in north-western Germany.

French Guiana recorded the highest rate, at 54.8%, followed by Calabria in southern Italy at 45.3% and Sicily at 44%. Melilla, a Spanish autonomous city, recorded 43.7%, while Réunion, another French outermost region, stood at 42.3%.

Central Europe Records The Lowest Rates

At the other end of the scale, 24 regions reported poverty or social exclusion risk rates below 13% in 2025. These included five eastern EU capital regions: Bratislava in Slovakia, Warsaw in Poland, Prague in the Czech Republic, Budapest in Hungary and Zagreb in Croatia.

Other regions with low rates were concentrated in northern Italy, the Czech Republic, northern Belgium, Hungary, Poland and Austria, illustrating the uneven distribution of economic security across Europe.

Cyprus Remains Below The EU Average

Cyprus’ rate of 17.1% places it below the EU average, although it remains higher than the levels recorded in the bloc’s lowest-risk regions.

The figures suggest that Cyprus performs relatively well compared with the wider EU, but poverty and social exclusion remain significant challenges across the bloc, affecting more than 92 million people.

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