POVERTY RATE IN ARMENIA NEARLY DOUBLES
Tuesday, November 26th, 2013
An elderly man in Armenia next to his makeshift shack
YEREVAN (Arka)-The poverty rate in Armenia climbed 17.4% from 2008 to
32.4% in 2012, according to the Armenian National Statistical Service’s
report, titled, “Poverty and the Social Panorama in Armenia, 2013.”
In its report, the National Statistical Service divides the poor into
three categories – extremely poor, very poor, and poor. The extreme
poverty rate in Armenia rose 1.8 times in the last five years while
the rate of very poor people increased by 7.1%.
According to the statistical report, every third resident of the
country – 32.4% (980,000 people) – lived in poverty in 2012. 13.5%
(408,000) were very poor and 2.8% (85,000) extremely poor.
Poverty rates in urban and rural areas are similar – in cities it stood
at 32.5% in 2012 after rising 17.7% from 2008, while in villages the
rate rose 16.7% to 32.1%.
The lowest poverty rate was recorded in Yerevan – about 25.6%
(1.6 times lower than other urban areas’ indicators). The poverty
rate overall climbed 27.3% over the last five years in Yerevan,
while in other cities it rose by 12.3%. 64.4% of poor people are
urban residents.
The main factor of the 2008-2012 poverty rate increase was a sharp
economic decline in 2009.
Earlier, Finance Minister David Sargsyan said that the poverty rate in
Armenia is gradually decreasing. This slow but sustainable downward
movement will continue along in 2014 thanks to increases in salaries
and pensions, Sargsyan says.
The minimum salary in the country was 32,500 dram in 2012. The average
monthly salary was 113,163 dram.
In July 2013, the minimum salary was raised by 30% to 45,000 dram.