According to the official statistics, 19 million Russians live below poverty line (14%). However, experts believe it’s 36 million people that are poor in Russia, according to 2018 report by Gazeta.ru.

How many Russians are poor?

Various groups of the population have different sustenance levels, with the average amount set at 11,160 rubles per month (USD 170). Yes, it’s a ridiculously low amount of monthly income.

The average monthly wage in Russia has been reported recently to have achieved USD 670 in 2018.

The Institute of Social Analysis and Prognosis’ experts calculated the share of locals who feel deprived at 25%, which is much higher than the official numbers.

In a recent survey by WCIOM, which is supposed to be representative by age and social groups, 16% of respondents said they have achieved a high financial status.

In the same survey, 7% of respondents (the same as official statistics) said their status in the society was low, while 3% avoided answering the question and 19% said it was below average.

Only 13% ranked their situation as above average. 64% stated their position was average.

Compared to 1991, it’s an improvement. But if we look back to 2012-2013, when the poverty level was historically low in Russia, it’s probably a change for the worse as we look at 2017 data. Russia’s pensioners are in the worst situation with many people getting pensions under USD 100 per month.

While the official statistics says it’s 14% of people in the country that live below poverty line, various other publications evaluate it at 15-25%, Bankir.ru reported. The share depends on the methodology how the poverty is defined. When it’s defined “by need” as opposed to the official sustenance levels, then the number of poor people is twice as high.

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