In 2016 some 550,000 Bulgarian children aged 18 or under were at risk of poverty and social exclusion, analysis of Eurostat shows. In other words, 45% of the Bulgarian children were exposed at such risk, whereas the EU average was 26.4%. In the past 6 years the number of Bulgarian children in that category decreased significantly. In 2010 over 635,000 Bulgarian children (49.8%) were at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Bulgaria places last but one in that ranking in the whole EU. Romania places last with 49% of the children (over 1.8 million) living at risk of poverty.