BOFIT Viikkokatsaus / BOFIT Weekly Review 2015/41
The number of Russians living below the official minimum subsistence level has declined for years, but this year’s contraction in real incomes reversed that trend. In the first half of 2015, close to 22 million people (about 15 % of the population) were living below the minimum level, erasing 8–9 years of gains against poverty. The officially defined monthly subsistence minimum in the second quarter was 10,800 roubles (about €160) for a working individual and 8,200 roubles (€120) for a pensioner. Rosstat’s income surveys have found that the share of households with children of all households living below the subsistence level had increased to 63–64 % in recent years (36 % of households surveyed).
People living below the official minimum subsistence level
Source: Rosstat.