The State Statistics Service does not know the poverty level of Ukrainians
15 July 2024 13:00
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine does not have data on the level of poverty or people with income below the minimum subsistence level. This was the response provided by government officials to a request from Komersant ukrainskyi
The last time poverty indicators were monitored in Ukraine was in 2021. The Ministry of Social Policy explains that such an analysis should be carried out in a comprehensive manner in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the State Statistics Service. For some reason, the latter did not study the living conditions of households in 2022-2024, so there are no statistics for this period.
As a reminder, according to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in 2021, the poverty rate for expenses below the actual subsistence level was 39.1%, and for income below the actual subsistence level – 20.6%.
The Ministry of Social Policy states that today the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has a significant impact on the living standards of the population. Russian aggression has provoked a large wave of internally displaced persons. Ukrainians are forced to flee the war, lacking the necessary things and financial support, income and livelihood. All of this draws special attention to the protection and support of citizens affected by the hostilities.
“The Ministry of Social Policy has developed a draft Demographic Development Strategy for the period up to 2040, which is a comprehensive document aimed at addressing a number of problems, including demographic, social and humanitarian ones.”
Daria Marchak, First Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine
According to World Bank estimates, the number of Ukrainians living below the poverty line has increased by 1.8 million since 2020. This is about 29% of the country’s total population. Experts say the situation could be worse if Ukraine did not receive foreign aid to pay pensions and salaries.
Author: Anastasia Fedor
