Nearly three in 10 Cypriots were unable to afford a one-week annual holiday away from home in 2025, according to new Eurostat data, underscoring the continuing financial pressures faced by many households despite the country's positive economic performance.
The figures show that 27.6% of Cyprus residents aged 16 and over lacked the financial means to take a week's holiday, broadly in line with the EU average of 27.5%.
While the EU-wide figure increased by 0.5 percentage points compared with 2024, it remains significantly lower than a decade ago.
Cyprus among countries facing holiday poverty
The data suggest that a substantial share of Cyprus' population continues to struggle with basic living costs, limiting the ability to spend on leisure travel.
Romania recorded the highest rate of people unable to afford a holiday, at 61.4%, followed by Greece (46.6%), Bulgaria (39.1%) and Hungary (39.1%).
At the other end of the scale, the lowest rates were recorded in Luxembourg (10.6%), Sweden (12.4%) and the Netherlands (12.8%).
The issue was also highlighted by the European Trade Union Confederation in 2025, when Cyprus ranked among the ten EU member states with the highest levels of so-called "holiday poverty".
One-third earn €1,500 or less
Separate figures released this week by the Statistical Service of Cyprus illustrate the income challenges facing many workers.
According to the data, 33.9% of employees earned gross monthly wages of up to €1,500 during the first quarter of 2026.
By contrast, 25.2% earned more than €3,000 per month.
Average gross monthly earnings rose to €2,601, compared with €2,508 a year earlier, representing an increase of 3.7%.
The largest share of employees, 40.9%, fell within the gross monthly earnings bracket of €1,500 to €2,999.
Central Bank highlights income gap
The Central Bank of Cyprus, in its latest Financial Stability Report, noted that wage growth has continued to outpace inflation, supporting household purchasing power and debt-servicing capacity.
However, it warned that the gains have not been distributed evenly across income groups.
According to the report, earnings for lower-income households increased by 3.9%, compared with 7.1% for higher-income households.
The Central Bank said the disparity points to a more limited improvement in the financial resilience of vulnerable households, despite the overall strength of the labour market.
