A new report released by Eurostat which assesses living conditions throughout Europe reveals that 60 percent of Polish families live below EU standards.

The latest figures show that families with two or three children are most affected by poor living conditions, mostly due to overcrowding. In rural areas the situation is the worst, with 36 percent of housing not coming up to contemporary standards.

Other figures in the report reveal that one in twenty Poles do not have a lavatory in the their homes, while 5.6 percent of families do not have either a bath or a shower at home.

Poor technical conditions of housing in Poland also abound, with almost 20 percent of accommodation afflicted by damp. Almost 50 percent of residential buildings in Poland, both older housing as well as apartment blocks built in the 1960s and 70s are yet to be properly insulated.

Denmark, Spain and Cyprus came top in Eurostat’s figures for living conditions, while the bottom of the table includes, Poland, Romania and Latvia.

According to earlier figures released this month from Poland’s Central Statistical Office, Poles wish to buy apartments with an average size of 47 square metres. By comparison, the average size for accommodation in the UK is 78 square meters, while in Spain and Denmark the figures are 97 and 137 square metres respectively. (jb)

Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna