In the EU in 2007, pollution or other environmental problems in the local area were felt as a problem for 37% of the population in Latvia, 35% in Malta and 26% in both Estonia and Cyprus. The lowest proportions were found in Sweden (7%), Denmark and Austria (both 8%) and Ireland (9%).
In 2007, 18% of the population lived in a dwelling with a leaking roof or damp in the walls, while 2% had no indoor flushing toilet and 2% no bath or shower.
In 2007, 23% of the EU population lived in households that perceived that they suffered from noise from neighbours or from the street, 17% felt they had problems with pollution or grime in their local area and 16% felt that crime or vandalism was a problem in the area they were living.
In 2007, the proportion of the population living in a dwelling with a leaking roof or damp in the walls ranged from 5% in Malta and Finland, 6% in Slovakia and Sweden and 9% in Austria to 38% in Poland, 30% in Cyprus, 26% in Latvia and 25% in Lithuania.
There were significant differences between Member States when considering the sanitary equipment of dwellings. The proportion of the population living in dwellings with no indoor flushing toilet ranged from less than 0.5% in Denmark, Spain, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden to 20% in Latvia and Lithuania, 15% in Estonia and 13% in Hungary. The share of persons living in dwellings with no bath or shower ranged from less than 0.5% in Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to 22% in Latvia, 18% in Estonia and Lithuania and 7% in Poland.
A household’s perception of noise, pollution or crime in their neighbourhood also differs significantly between Member States. It is important to note that these indicators measure the perception of these problems and not the actual levels.
In Cyprus in 2007, 37% of the population felt that they lived in a dwelling in an area where they had problems with noise either from neighbours or from the street, followed by 32% in the Netherlands, 28% in Portugal and 27% in Germany, Malta stood at 24%. The lowest percentages were found in Ireland and Sweden (both 13%) and Hungary (15%).
In Latvia in 2007, 30% of the population felt that crime, violence or vandalism in the local area was a problem for their household, followed by the United Kingdom (27%) and Estonia (22%). At the other end of the scale, 7% of the population in Lithuania and 8% in both Poland and Slovakia had this feeling, Malta stood at 10%.
These indicators on living conditions come from the EU-SILC survey and are published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Data for Bulgaria and Romania is not yet available.