More and more poor children in Luxembourg

"Not everyone is lucky in life, but our children didn't ask to be here, so as parents we have to do our best to make them happy." Nanda has been coming to the Buttek centre in Bettemburg for eight months. She received an access card for the grocery shop from the social welfare office, which offers people in precarious situations goods for a symbolic total of two euros per purchase. Nanda cannot afford a yoghurt for three euros in a "normal" supermarket, as the family lives on the bare minimum.

"My husband and I don't earn very much, we have a large family with three children and debts, which is why I come here, " says the mum-of-three. Nanda is one of around 13 per cent of Luxembourg residents who, according to Statec, live in a household with a total income below the poverty line despite having a job. Life just happens, says Nanda, who speaks openly about her family's situation. "You don't see poverty in this country, but there are many people who work and still can't afford anything. It's not easy, but you shouldn't be ashamed of it, because things will get better at some point, " says the African-born woman, who works part-time as a cleaner for a care service.

Luxembourg is the country with the world's highest gross domestic product per capita (GDP) and the highest statutory minimum wage in Europe. However, the statistics are deceptive, as the average income says nothing about how many households are actually at risk of poverty, according to Paul Heber from Unicef Luxembourg: "For this, you have to look at the median income, i.e. the exact centre, if you put the incomes of all citizens next to each other in order of level." Anyone earning less than 60 per cent of the median income slips below the poverty line – in 2022, this will be just over EUR 2,200 for a single person.