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OVER 40 PERCENT OF ARMENIA'S POPULATION IS BELOW POVERTY LINE, POLL SAYS
YEREVAN, 17 October. / ARKA /. Some 42 percent of Armenia's population
is below the poverty line, according to an opinion poll conducted by
Sociometer polling center of Aharon Adibekyan in 2013.
Speaking at a news conference Adibekyan said poor citizens are those
who live on less than $2 a day, poverty criteria established by the
United Nations. '
Accordingly, those who live on less than $1 a day are considered
extremely poor," said Adibekyan, adding that some 10 percent of
Armenians are rated as such.
However, only half of those living below the poverty line consider
themselves poor. Adibekyan described this as a 'psychological defense
reaction' of the people.
"Thirteen percent of Armenia's population is rich. However, only 2%
of them consider themselves rich. Thus, the portion of citizens with
modest living standards who can be named as middle class is more than
40%," said Adibekyan.
Adibekyan says the main problem of the Armenian society is that mostly
it is the so-called middle class chooses to emigrate resulting in
extreme polarization of the Armenian society divided now into the
rich and the poor.
According to him, the other problem is that the only sources of income
of about 17% of Armenian families are money remittances sent by their
relatives working abroad.
"The fathers of around 300,000 children in Armenia live and work
abroad. This will lead to very negative consequences in the future,"
he says.
According to the Central Bank, the amount of individual non-commercial
remittances to Armenia via banks in the first eight months of 2014
surged by 1.2 percent from a year earlier to over $1.16 billion.
According to the latest data of the ministry of finance, in 2013 the
poverty rate was 32.1%, and that of extreme poverty - 2.7%.
According to the National Statistical Service, the poverty rate in
Armenia in 2012 was 32.4%, an increase of 17.4 percent from 2008 ($
1 - 409.49 drams). -0-
http://arka.am/en/news/society/over_40_percent_of_armenia_s_population_is_below_p overty_line_poll_says_/#sthash.nGPbkL2j.dpuf
YEREVAN, 17 October. / ARKA /. Some 42 percent of Armenia's population
is below the poverty line, according to an opinion poll conducted by
Sociometer polling center of Aharon Adibekyan in 2013.
Speaking at a news conference Adibekyan said poor citizens are those
who live on less than $2 a day, poverty criteria established by the
United Nations. '
Accordingly, those who live on less than $1 a day are considered
extremely poor," said Adibekyan, adding that some 10 percent of
Armenians are rated as such.
However, only half of those living below the poverty line consider
themselves poor. Adibekyan described this as a 'psychological defense
reaction' of the people.
"Thirteen percent of Armenia's population is rich. However, only 2%
of them consider themselves rich. Thus, the portion of citizens with
modest living standards who can be named as middle class is more than
40%," said Adibekyan.
Adibekyan says the main problem of the Armenian society is that mostly
it is the so-called middle class chooses to emigrate resulting in
extreme polarization of the Armenian society divided now into the
rich and the poor.
According to him, the other problem is that the only sources of income
of about 17% of Armenian families are money remittances sent by their
relatives working abroad.
"The fathers of around 300,000 children in Armenia live and work
abroad. This will lead to very negative consequences in the future,"
he says.
According to the Central Bank, the amount of individual non-commercial
remittances to Armenia via banks in the first eight months of 2014
surged by 1.2 percent from a year earlier to over $1.16 billion.
According to the latest data of the ministry of finance, in 2013 the
poverty rate was 32.1%, and that of extreme poverty - 2.7%.
According to the National Statistical Service, the poverty rate in
Armenia in 2012 was 32.4%, an increase of 17.4 percent from 2008 ($
1 - 409.49 drams). -0-
http://arka.am/en/news/society/over_40_percent_of_armenia_s_population_is_below_p overty_line_poll_says_/#sthash.nGPbkL2j.dpuf