A ranking of countries by wealth has been compiled. Belarusians were classified as the poorest nations. Belarus is among the three poorest countries in Europe Belarus is the poorest country

Purchasing Power Europe 2017, which analyzed revenues in 42 European countries. The European average was 13,937 euros per year, or 1,161 euros per month.

The residents of Liechtenstein have the best income with 63,267 euros per year. And the Ukrainians have the worst situation - the average annual income there, according to GfK, is 949 euros.

Belarusians, alas, are in the top three countries with the lowest income. According to a German research company, the average Belarusian lives on 2,558 euros a year, or 213 euros per month.

The description of the study states that the data are taken mainly from the national statistical agencies of different countries, which adhere to the European scoring system adopted in 2010 (ESA 2010). Regarding our country, GfK clarified that they use Belstat data.

I must say that in October, according to Belstat, the average salary in Belarus amounted to 841 rubles, or 364 euros at the average rate of the National Bank. But such a low salary, as in the rating, we had only in March 2006 (216 euros).

The experts who worked on the study could also take the median salary (see STAY INFORMATION!). The last time it was counted in November 2016, and then it was 528.3 denominated rubles, or 252 euros. This is much closer to the figure that was named in GfK.

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What is median salary?

It shows how much most people actually get. For example, if one person receives 100 rubles, the second 200, the third - 300, and the fourth - 2000, then the average salary will be 650 rubles, and the median - 200. Most often, national statistical agencies calculate just the median salary.

AND AT THIS TIME

Trade unions: almost 200 organizations in Belarus did not pay salaries on time

The report says that in October of this year, 178 organizations across the country did not pay salaries to their employees on time.

According to the FPB, state organizations were also among the debtors. For example, in the housing department No. 1 of the Oktyabrsky district of Minsk, the terms of payment of salaries and vacation pay are constantly violated, there are questions with the final payment upon dismissal. The trade unionists call the following reason: lack of working capital, delay in transfers from the treasury.

So, at the Minsk Experimental Fittings Plant there is an overdue debt on the payment of wages for August and September of this year. During these months, the employer paid the employees only 1.5 of the subsistence minimum budget. A similar situation is in the organizations of the regional rural construction of the Grodno region. Among the most problematic are also the organizations Unibox, Stroyka Veka and LLC Promstroyexport».

Employment, wage growth, pricing - Alexander Lukashenko recalled this triad of his demands on May 2 at a meeting with the chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus (FPB) Mikhail Orda. “You shouldn’t think that this is some kind of populism or has nothing to do with the economy”, the President stressed.

Photo by the press service of the President of Belarus

Meanwhile, in March, it was not possible to reach the coveted thousand rubles of the average salary - it amounted to 926.8 rubles. Isn't it tempting to push a little more?

But! Economists note: wages are already growing inadequately, the growth of labor productivity, which is contrary to economic laws.

Salaries are pumped up artificially

Inflating earnings contrary to the laws of the economy is like the growth of a cancerous tumor. Such a crooked concern for the wallets of Belarusians invariably comes out sideways to them. Freshly printed rubles are being eaten up by inflation. And even in general, salaries in dollar terms, like a sickle, are cut off by another devaluation.

At the end of last year, the vertical, mindful of the President's directive to give everyone a thousand, in general furiously, with the help of all sorts of tricks, earnings (that's why they came up in January-February). The vertical is more afraid of the presidential whip than the warnings of economists and financiers. As a result, the vicious circle is not broken.

Today, the president repeated his thesis that there are no grounds for rising prices in the country. And if someone raises them unjustifiably, then it is, they say, for the sake of their own gain.

Is it really so?

This is what not some malicious oppositionist says, but the head of the main department of monetary policy and economic analysis of the National Bank Dmitry Murin:“The growth of real wages and real disposable incomes of the population at a pace that outpaces the dynamics of labor productivity forms the prerequisites for increasing inflationary pressure both now and in the near future.”

Let's translate it into simple language: it is precisely the rise in salaries without taking into account the real state of the economy that provokes a rise in prices.

At the same time, it is significant that "regulated prices and tariffs are often raised by the state by an amount exceeding the established inflation target", notes Murin . To put it simply, it is precisely the officials who, through the price tag, are the most active in getting into the people's pocket.

Total: in the first quarter, consumer prices rose by 2.5%, while the plan was no more than 6% per year. That is, with the rise in wages, it's time to slow down.

Again about bad private traders

Meanwhile, the country's leadership hopes that the loyal FPB will take care of the well-being of the working people. In particular, through price controls. Although their growth, as we see, is only a consequence of deeper processes, which the FPB, by definition, is not capable of influencing.

GDP growth this year is already slowing down. The government recognizes that the growth itself is mainly opportunistic. Russia began to give more oil, and oil itself rose in price. This is an ephemeral rise, tomorrow it may melt like a dream, like a morning mist.

Meanwhile, there have been no reforms capable of ensuring sustainable dynamic growth of the economy. And until it does. Lukashenka did not even mention them in his April speech.

Without reforms, as economists predict, Belarus will lag behind even neighboring, not the richest EU countries. There is at least some progress. The Belarusians, without options, will get stuck among the poorest nations in Europe, and no FPB will save even a crack here.

Without money, it will not be possible to reform the economy, and without reforms, there will be no money.

According to Belstat, compared to last year, the material resources of households (in other words, families) increased by an average of about $80. But does this mean that people began to live better?

According to a study by Belstat, in the first half of 2018, disposable resources per household amounted to 1170 rubles per month, including in cities and urban-type settlements - 1250.1 rubles per month, in rural areas - 962.9 rubles per month .

In the first half of 2017, these figures were lower: 1,014.1 rubles on average per household, 1,085.8 rubles in cities, and 825.3 rubles in villages.

It turns out that over the past year, the monthly resources of households increased by an average of 156 rubles (about $80).

What did you spend on?

One household spent an average of 1,104.8 rubles per month, of which 831.5 rubles (75.3%) accounted for consumer spending. 40.3% of funds were spent on food, 30.6% on non-food items, and 26% on payment for services. A year earlier, the share of expenses for food was 42%, for the purchase of things - 29.9%, for services - 25.1%.

Reducing the share of spending on food is a good trend. For comparison: in 1995, Belarusians ate up more than 60% of their income, and by the end of 2010 this figure dropped to 36.8%. But a series of crises in the first half of the 2010s again forced Belarusians to spend more on food. In 2015, this figure was 41.9%, in 2016 - 41.5%.

Despite the fact that the share of food costs is declining, we still have to reach the developed European countries, as far as the moon. For example, the indicator of Luxembourg - 8.6%, Switzerland - 12%.

The share of spending on food is likely to decrease in the future. But not because of a decrease in food prices, but in connection with the reformatting of the cost structure due to an increase in tariffs for housing and communal services.

By the end of the year, the tariffs at which the population pays for housing and communal services will cover 76.3% of their cost. Such data are given in the latest issue of the journal "Economic Bulletin", published by the Research Economic Institute (NIEI) of the Ministry of Economy.

“According to the data of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, as a result of the increase in tariffs, as well as the measures taken to reduce costs, by the end of 2018, the level of reimbursement by the population for the provision of housing and communal services will reach 76.3%,”- experts of the NIEI of the Ministry of Economy note.

In 2017, this figure was 69.7%. Naturally, an increase in the share will also entail an increase in the costs of households for utilities.

Who falls into the poverty zone?

In fact, the categories classified by the state as the poorest segments of the population were determined by a presidential decree signed in June this year. The document expanded the categories of citizens eligible for non-cash housing subsidies.

Along with non-working pensioners, non-working disabled adults, non-cash subsidies will be provided to families raising children under three years of age, disabled children under 18, as well as those receiving benefits for the care of disabled people of the first group and persons who have reached the age of 80.

However, this list does not include the unemployed, among whom the risk of poverty is very high. At the end of July 2018, the number of registered (registered at the labor exchange) unemployed was 16.6 thousand people, which is 46.9% (almost twice) less than on August 1, 2017 (31.2 thousand people).

However, adequate calculation methods indicate more significant unemployment figures - almost 300 thousand people according to 2017 data.

All these people remain outside the scope of the state's attention in terms of providing assistance in paying utility bills. Unemployment benefits for those officially registered (the maximum amount is two basic units - 49 rubles) should not be taken seriously as a source of income.

Last year, according to statistical data, the share of the poor population slightly increased, with the exception of those living in rural areas, where they survive largely through household plots.

Who can be trapped in poverty

Natalia Ryabova, director of the SYMPA School of Young Managers of Public Administration, which operates the BIPART research project and the Kosht ​​Urada website dedicated to public finance, notes that the state supports those in need, but not on the scale that we would like, and not always those who need it. who would be needed.

Thus, according to the Ministry of Labor, in the first half of 2018, 47.68 million rubles of state targeted social assistance was allocated, which was received by 161,831 people, the majority (75,095 people) in the form of an allowance for the purchase of diapers. 45,653 people received monthly benefits, for which the state spent 12.38 million rubles, that is, about 271 rubles per person for six months, or 45 rubles per month.

Traditionally, the main recipients of monthly and one-time social benefits are large families and single-parent families raising minor children. They accounted for 67.4% of the total number of recipients of these benefits last year. The share of single pensioners and disabled people is 4.7% (6.4 thousand people).

“Families with not one, but several children, traditionally find themselves in the worst situation compared to others. I would also mention the residents of the village, who largely survive due to additional work on the household plot, and all the lonely pensioners left without family support. Students who are forced to live only on scholarships, the unemployed, whose benefits are at the level of statistical error - they are all at risk of poverty.

Despite the obvious vulnerability of some categories, the expert still considers it more objective to allocate state assistance based not on the social category, but on the financial situation.

She cited as an example the subsidization of housing and communal services, which is important for vulnerable groups, but in “In some cases, taking into account the calculation of the amount of subsidies for the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe apartment, not only poor, but also quite wealthy citizens receive support.”

Another example is pumping money into unprofitable enterprises instead of supporting the unemployed at a decent level. Ryabova recalled that the possibility of unemployment insurance was actively discussed in Belarus, but the issue hung.

According to the expert, it has become obvious to the authorities that unemployment insurance in the form of another tax will become an additional burden on the wage fund of enterprises, whose social taxes are already high.

“So support for inefficient industries continues. This suitcase without a handle would have been thrown away long ago if not for the threat that crowds of people would find themselves on the street without a livelihood. In fact, the poverty trap is that there is a vicious circle - without money it will not be possible to reform the economy, and without reforms there will be no money,”- concluded Natalia Ryabova.

The most important factor for the country is the environmental one, connected with the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the need for additional funds for people living in the affected areas.

Experts identify two methods for determining the level of poverty (table).

How Belstat works

When calculating the poverty rate in the country, an absolute approach is used. For the assessment, the average value of the PM budget per capita is used. In 2020, the latter in the republic is 1,697,000 bel. rubles. The subsistence level per capita is 169.

Against this background, the poverty rate in Belarus today is 5%. In 2016, this figure was 6.2%, in 2017 - 5.4%.

To get a complete picture of the situation in the Republic of Belarus, it is recommended to consider the relative level of poverty. Regional differences should also be taken into account.

These calculations help:

• Identify the most vulnerable categories of citizens.
• To see the provoking factors of impoverishment.
• Decide on the methods of social policy.

Difficult situation

Belarus is a poor country. Almost every second citizen spends about 200 Bel per month. rubles. One US dollar today costs 2.13 bel. ruble.

According to data provided by the World Bank, the poverty line is $1.9/24 hours, $50 per month.

According to statistics, more than 520,000 Belarusians already live below the poverty line.

Income Information

The most important economic indicator is the real disposable income of the population. The well-being of citizens is determined precisely by them.

Per capita disposable resources by regions, in %

RRD is the difference between mandatory contributions to the state budget and all monetary income of citizens.

In the summer - autumn of 2018, there was a steady decline in real disposable income by 7%.

General indicators look like this:

• Wages - 62%.
• Enterprise income - 8.3%.
• Pension contributions, benefits, scholarships - 23.1%.
• Other income - 5.8%.

Falling wages

According to statistics provided by Belstat, it is 749.2 bel. ruble. Compared to last year, it decreased by 4%.

The poorest are:

• museum workers;
• archivists;
• librarians.

Their salary amounted to 419 Belarusian rubles. Salaries in agriculture decreased by 11.7% compared to last year.

Male and female

According to Belstat statistics, Belarusian men are more likely to fall below the poverty line and receive the status of unemployed.

In 2020, the actual unemployment rate among males was 7.3%, among women - 3.9%.

Composition of the unemployed by age groups

By the beginning of 2020, there were 33,700 people in the country who had the official status of unemployed, 22,400 of them were men. Against this background, the percentage of the poor among the latter is 6.8, among women - 4.9.

The total number of people below the poverty line has risen steadily since 2014.

Information about the gap in earnings of both sexes is presented in the table.

The gap in pension contributions (for women, the pension is lower) is as follows:

1. 2013 - 95,8 %.
2. 2014 - 97,6 %.
3. 2015 - 98,4 %.
4. 2016 - 98,6 %.
5. 2017 - 98,8 %.
6. 2018 - 98,9 %.

The poorest areas

Experts identify the 20 poorest regions of the country.

The first lines in the top are occupied by the Chernobyl zones. This factor is amazing.

According to Belstat, the poorest region of Belarus is the Kormyansky district. The average salary level here is 1039 bel. r., or 130 dollars.

The poorest cities

The poorest cities are those with a population of 100,000 or less:

Station Gomel, Belarus

Who is at risk

The most socially vulnerable groups of Belarusian citizens include:

• Children.
• Persons over 60 years of age.
• Single parents.
• Unemployed people of working age.
• Persons with poor education.
• Inhabitants of villages and villages.

The risk of relative poverty for these categories is 56%, absolute - 34%.

The vulnerable position of minors is associated with state support and employment of fathers and mothers.

The amount of state support is not very high. Generally, benefits are provided for children under the age of three. This helps to temporarily solve the problem of poverty of a particular individual, but not of a household.

The second type of state support is targeted social assistance. The maximum period of its provision is 6 months / 1 year.