Nearly 7% of households in the European Union were unable in 2018 to pay their bills on utilities (heat, electricity, natural gas, water) on time, due to financial difficulties, and the highest percentage is in Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, show data released Monday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).

However, at EU level, this percentage has dropped significantly, from over 10% in 2013.

Among households in the European Union, especially those who have dependent children face difficulties in paying bills on time.

In the EU, under 14% of households consisting of a single adult with dependent children encountered such difficulties in 2018, compared to less than 3% of households made up of two adults (with at least one aged 65 years or older). Among households with two or three dependent children, this percentage is of about 11%.