Bulgaria is among the countries with the greatest risk of poverty, according to Eurostat data. Our country ranks second after Romania in statistics. According to the research, 30% of Bulgarians are at risk of poverty compared to 32% of Romanians.
How is the risk of poverty determined?
According to the former social minister Hristina Hristova, if a household or a person meets 7 out of 13 indicators, it is assumed that he is at risk of poverty and social isolation.
„These indicators are whether he can pay his rent and utility bills, whether he has a car, whether he has Internet access, whether he can afford a one-week vacation once a year, whether he can replace worn-out furniture and clothes, whether there are spare shoes”, she explained.
According to her, in the study of poverty, the two most serious phenomena are the working poor and child poverty.
„The latest research shows that 11.7% of working people in our country live in poverty and are at great risk. Those with higher education are about 3%, but those with primary and no education are 66%. Regarding child poverty, the research shows us that we are even one percentage point worse than the previous year. This is the relative share of children up to the age of 18 and is expressed in a lack of opportunity to receive additional lessons, develop their talent, practice sports, participate in entertainment, tourism, have spare clothes and shoes, insufficient teaching aids“, pointed out Hristina Hristova.
Regarding child poverty, the former social minister noted that only 4% of children of parents with higher education are at risk of poverty, compared to 80% of children from families with little or no education.