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Cyprus Fiscal Surplus Reaches €538.8 Million In January 2026

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

March 16, 2026

Robust Fiscal Performance In Early 2026

Cyprus recorded a general government fiscal surplus of €538.8 million in January 2026, equal to 1.5% of GDP, according to the Cyprus Statistical Service (Cystat). The figure is lower than January 2025, when the surplus reached €569.3 million, or 1.6% of GDP.

Revenue Gains Driven By Income And Wealth Taxes

Total government revenue reached €1.55 billion in January 2026. This represents a 1.0% increase from €1.53 billion recorded a year earlier. Taxes on income and wealth increased by €71.2 million to €657.0 million, up from €585.8 million in January 2025. Capital transfers also increased, rising to €5.2 million from €2.9 million, a 79.3% increase.

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Mixed Trends In Tax Categories

Taxes on production and imports declined by €24.0 million to €363.4 million, down from €387.4 million a year earlier. The decrease represents a 6.2% decline. Net revenue from value-added tax increased by €9.2 million. VAT revenue reached €258.9 million compared with €249.7 million in January 2025, an increase of 3.7%.

Changes In Social Contributions And Property Income

Social contributions declined by €7.8 million to €423.4 million. This represents a decrease of 1.8% compared with January 2025. Property income also declined, falling to €4.9 million from €7.1 million a year earlier. The decrease represents a 31.0% drop.

Changes In Current Transfers And Service Revenues

Current transfers declined by €8.9 million to €12.1 million, compared with €21.0 million in January 2025. This represents a decrease of 42.4%. Revenue from the sale of goods and services also declined. The figure fell to €85.5 million from €101.4 million, a decrease of 15.7%.

Government Spending And Capital Investments

Total government expenditure increased to €1.01 billion in January 2026. The figure represents a 4.7% increase from €967.5 million a year earlier. Intermediate consumption increased by €10.2 million to €83.5 million, representing a 13.9% increase. Social benefits rose by 4.5% to €450.0 million, compared with €430.7 million in January 2025. Current transfers also increased, rising by 30.2% to €93.6 million.

Capital Account And Fiscal Adjustments

The capital account increased to €37.4 million from €33.2 million a year earlier. This represents a 12.7% increase. Gross capital formation increased by €0.6 million, a 2.3% rise. Other capital expenditure increased by €3.6 million to €10.4 million, representing a 52.9% increase. Compensation of employees, interest payments and subsidies declined during the period.

Data Reporting

Cystat said some fiscal data for general government entities were estimated due to incomplete submissions from certain authorities. The figures reflect fiscal developments for January 2026 based on available data from government entities.

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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.