The standard of living in Russia is lower than it was before the 1998 economic crisis, with 44 million Russians living below the poverty line, according to statistics committee figures for the first part of the year.
Although average real income in the first five months of 2001 was six percent higher than in the same period last year, the level was still 78 percent of the pre-August 1998 level, the committee said.
The gap between rich and poor is still vast -- the income of the highest 10 percent of earners is 14.1 times those of the lowest 10 percent of earners, compared with 14.3 percent for the same period last year, according to the committee quoted by Ria Novosti.
This wealth divide was the starkest in Moscow where the highest incomes in the country are concentrated.
The rise in income since 2000 has led to a slight reduction in the level of poverty but 30 percent of the population, some 44 million people, were still living below the poverty line at the start of this year.
The minimum level, worked out from the cost of a few basic items and services, was set at 1,350 roubles (49 dollars) for a worker and 930 roubles (34 dollars) for pensioners.
The poverty line is judged by experts as insufficient to live off properly and yet the minimum pension remains at an even lower level.
Since the 1998 economic crisis, pensioners have sunk even deeper into poverty, according to the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development (OCDE) in a recent study on the social crisis in Russia. |
