Greece Leads EU in Housing Cost Burden for People with Disabilities
A new report shows Greece has the highest share of disabled citizens struggling to meet housing expenses in the European Union.
According to the first 2026 statistical bulletin of the Disability Observatory, half of people with disabilities in Greece are behind on rent or mortgage payments, making the country the worst performer in the EU on housing cost burden for this group. The report, which draws on Eurostat and ELSTAT SILC data from 2016 to 2025, notes a sharp reversal of earlier improvements as inflation and the energy crisis peaked in 2021-22, driving arrears upward through 2025.
Contributing factors include lower incomes, higher living costs associated with disability, greater energy needs, and a lack of accessible, quality housing. The study also highlights persistent energy poverty and insufficient energy-efficiency upgrades. It criticizes the absence of dedicated social housing and targeted support, and says recent policy proposals, such as the National Housing Policy Strategy 2026-2035 and the “My Home III” mortgage subsidy, do not adequately address the extra costs faced by disabled households.
Why it matters
The findings expose a severe gap in Greece's social safety net, affecting millions of disabled residents and signaling broader EU inequality issues.
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