Standfirst: New data show that holiday affordability has improved across the European Union over the past decade, yet millions of people still cannot afford a week away from home. The picture also varies sharply across the continent, with some countries recording setbacks despite the broader improvement.
Holiday affordability is becoming less out of reach for many households, according to the latest European data, but the improvement is uneven. In the latest Europe news on living standards and cost pressures, the share of people in the EU aged 16 and over who could not afford one week of annual holiday away from home fell to 27.5% in 2025, down from 35.2% in 2015.
The figures point to a clear long-term improvement, but they also underline how sharply conditions differ between countries. Across the EU and wider Europe, the ability to pay for a short break remains closely tied to wages, disposable income and broader economic strength.
Europe news: where holiday affordability is weakest and strongest
The latest figures show a wide gap between countries with the highest and lowest levels of holiday deprivation.
- Highest shares unable to afford a holiday: Romania, Montenegro, Albania and Turkey
- Lowest shares: Switzerland, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark
Romania recorded the highest share, with 61% of people unable to afford a week away from home in 2025. Montenegro stood at 58%, Albania 53% and Turkey 51%. North Macedonia and Greece were also among the highest.
At the other end, Switzerland and Norway were both near 9%, while several northern and western European countries remained well below the EU average. That reinforces a broader pattern seen in European current affairs: lower-income parts of southern and south-eastern Europe continue to face the greatest pressure from living costs.
Why some countries moved against the trend
Although most countries improved over the decade, five saw the share unable to afford a holiday rise: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany and Austria.
The increases were most noticeable in the Nordic countries, though they still remained among the best-performing states overall. Germany and Austria also moved in the wrong direction, with around one in five people unable to afford a week-long break in 2025.
This matters because it shows that stronger economies are not immune from affordability pressures. Europe news today is increasingly shaped by concerns over household budgets, housing costs, inflation aftershocks and uneven wage growth.
Biggest improvements over the decade
Several countries recorded especially large declines in holiday deprivation:
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Cyprus
- Ireland
- Bulgaria
- Turkey
Ireland was among the strongest improvers, with the share falling by 22 percentage points over the 2015-2025 period. That suggests a substantial shift in household purchasing power, even if cost-of-living pressures remain a major issue.
What the data say about income and living standards
The broader takeaway from this Europe news story is that holiday affordability is about more than travel prices. It is often a proxy for financial resilience. When households cannot afford even one week away from home each year, it usually reflects pressure on essential spending such as housing, food, transport and energy.
Countries with higher net earnings generally report lower rates of holiday deprivation, while those with weaker average incomes tend to record higher shares. Even so, national averages can hide large internal inequalities, especially where wages, rents and social supports vary sharply.
That makes this more than a seasonal travel story. It is also part of the wider Europe latest updates on inequality, disposable income and the real-world effects of cost-of-living strains.
What this means for Europe news watchers
The long-term direction is positive: more people across the EU can now afford a modest annual break than a decade ago. But the gap between richer and poorer parts of Europe remains significant, and some high-income countries are moving backwards.
For readers following Europe news, the figures offer a useful measure of how economic growth translates into everyday life. A stronger labour market or rising wages do not automatically mean that leisure spending becomes accessible to all. The latest Europe news on holiday affordability shows that for millions of people, a week away is still a financial stretch rather than a routine part of the year.
