Greece ranks worst in the European Union for the share of people with disabilities overburdened by housing costs, according to a new report by the National Confederation of Disabled People (ESAmeA).
The first 2026 statistical bulletin of the confederation’s Disability Observatory, titled “Housing Poverty and Disability,” found that half of Greeks with disabilities are unable to pay their rent or mortgage on time, while four in 10 fall behind on utility bills.
Greece also recorded the worst performance among the 27 EU member states on a composite indicator measuring arrears among people with disabilities. The report pointed to persistent energy poverty, a lack of energy-efficiency upgrades and inaccessible homes as further dimensions of the problem.
The analysis draws on Eurostat and Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) covering 2016 to 2025.
According to the findings, improvements recorded in the first half of the decade reversed sharply as inflation and the energy crisis peaked in 2021-22. Arrears on rent and mortgage payments surged between 2021 and 2025, leaving many people with disabilities at risk of losing their homes.
The report cited lower incomes, the high additional cost of living with a disability, greater energy needs and a shortage of accessible, quality housing as key factors. It described the absence of social housing and targeted support for people with disabilities as a long-standing failure of Greek policy.
The confederation said the National Housing Policy Strategy 2026-2035 incorporated some of its proposals, but only as general principles rather than concrete measures. It added that announcements so far on the new “My Home III” mortgage subsidy program do not take into account the additional living costs linked to disability.
