That’s according to Eurostat figures released on 24 November.
Across the EU, the figure was one in three people (33.9%) in 2017. The highest proportions were recorded in Latvia (59.9%), Croatia (56.2%) and Bulgaria (53.2%)
The financially best prepared were those in Malta (15.8%), followed by residents of Sweden (19.7%), Luxembourg (20.4%), Austria (20.6%) and the Netherlands (20.7%).
Roughly one in three Germans (29.3%) and French (26.6%), and one in four Belgians (25.3%), would have trouble managing a financial surprise, said the EU statistics agency.