In 2024, **** million people in Russia lived below the poverty line, marking a considerable decrease compared to the previous year. The number of Russian residents that earned an income below the subsistence minimum was nearly ** million higher in 2000. What percentage of Russians live in poverty? Looking at annual figures, Russia’s poverty rate has declined since 2015, when it exceeded ** percent. Over ***** percent of the population of Russia lived below the national poverty line in 2024. Several other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Latvia, reported higher poverty rates. Subsistence minimum in Russia Starting from January 1, 2025, the monthly per capita subsistence minimum in Russia stood at ****** Russian rubles for the working-age population and at ****** Russian rubles on average. That figure includes the cost of essential goods, such as food products, clothing, and medicines, and services, such as utilities and transportation expenses. The subsistence minimum was lower than the average wage in Russia, which was set at ****** Russian rubles from January 1, 2025.

In 2024, over ***** percent of the resident population of Russia lived below the poverty line. The share of Russians earning less than the subsistence minimum has decreased since 2015.

Russia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $2.15: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2017 PPP: % data was reported at 0.000 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.010 % for 2013. Russia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $2.15: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2017 PPP: % data is updated yearly, averaging 0.020 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2014, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.100 % in 1999 and a record low of 0.000 % in 2014. Russia Proportion of Population Pushed Below the $2.15: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2017 PPP: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. This indicator shows the fraction of a country’s population experiencing out-of-pocket health impoverishing expenditures, defined as expenditures without which the household they live in would have been above the $ 2.15 poverty line, but because of the expenditures is below the poverty line. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).;Global Health Observatory. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023. (https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/financial-protection);Weighted average;This indicator is related to Sustainable Development Goal 3.8.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Historical dataset showing Russia poverty rate by year from 1993 to 2021.

In February and March 2020, ** percent of polled Russians considered the inequality between the rich and the poor in their country to constitute a major issue. Sharp social divisions and an unequal income distribution worried nearly ** percent of Russians in 2019.

0.0 (%) in 2018. Poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.90 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Russia RU: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data was reported at 0.002 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.010 % for 2013. Russia RU: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data is updated yearly, averaging 0.024 % from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2014, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.092 % in 1999 and a record low of 0.002 % in 2014. Russia RU: Increase in Poverty Gap at $3.20: Poverty Line Due To Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP: % of Poverty Line data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Increase in poverty gap at $3.20 ($ 2011 PPP) poverty line due to out-of-pocket health care expenditure, as a percentage of the $3.20 poverty line. The poverty gap increase due to out-of-pocket health spending is one way to measure how much out-of-pocket health spending pushes people below or further below the poverty line (the difference in the poverty gap due to out-of-pocket health spending being included or excluded from the measure of household welfare). This difference corresponds to the total out-of-pocket health spending for households that are already below the poverty line, to the amount that exceeds the shortfall between the poverty line and total consumption for households that are impoverished by out-of-pocket health spending and to zero for households whose consumption is above the poverty line after accounting for out-of-pocket health spending.; ; World Health Organization and World Bank. 2019. Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2019.; Weighted average;

RU: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data was reported at 0.600 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.400 % for 2020. RU: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data is updated yearly, averaging 0.800 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2021, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.100 % in 2015 and a record low of 0.400 % in 2020. RU: Poverty Gap at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty gap at $6.85 a day (2017 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $6.85 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Russia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data was reported at 5.000 % in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.600 % for 2019. Russia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data is updated yearly, averaging 4.050 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2020, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.000 % in 2020 and a record low of 0.300 % in 2010. Russia Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: World Bank: % of total population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (World Bank) is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Multidimensional Poverty Measure. The Multidimensional Poverty Measure includes three dimensions – monetary poverty, education, and basic infrastructure services – to capture a more complete picture of poverty.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Over nine percent of children in Russia were estimated to fall into poverty additionally due to the economic crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, based on the analysis from 2022. Russia had the most children among Eastern European and Central Asian countries. Furthermore, five percent of the Ukrainian child population was expected to experience poverty as a result of the economic shock. The economic decline caused by the war was also projected to increase adult poverty across the region, though to a lesser extent.

Number of poor at $3.2 a day of Russian Federation sank by 16.67% from 0.6 million persons in 2017 to 0.5 million persons in 2018. Since the 20.00% jump in 2015, number of poor at $3.2 a day plummeted by 16.67% in 2018. Number of people living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).

Poverty rate at $3.2 a day of Russian Federation shot up by 33.33% from 0.30 % in 2020 to 0.40 % in 2021. Since the 50.00% slump in 2018, poverty rate at $3.2 a day remained stable by 0.00% in 2021. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Russia RU: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 2.000 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.700 % for 2020. Russia RU: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 2.800 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2021, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.500 % in 2016 and a record low of 1.700 % in 2020. Russia RU: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $6.85 a Day: 2017 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $6.85 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $6.85 a day at 2017 international prices.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

In 2020, the poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines in Russia stood at 12.1 percent. Between 2000 and 2020, the figure dropped by 16.9 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Russia RU: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data was reported at 13.000 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 11.600 % for 2020. Russia RU: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data is updated yearly, averaging 14.550 % from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2021, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.900 % in 2015 and a record low of 11.600 % in 2020. Russia RU: Proportion of People Living Below 50 Percent Of Median Income: % data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

0.0 (%) in 2018. Poverty gap at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) is the mean shortfall in income or consumption from the poverty line $1.90 a day (counting the nonpoor as having zero shortfall), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. This measure reflects the depth of poverty as well as its incidence. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Poverty ratio at $3.2 a day of Russian Federation remained constant at 0.4 % over the last 3 years. Poverty headcount ratio at $3.20 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.20 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Key information about Russia Household Income per Capita

• Russia Annual Household Income per Capita reached 8,179.123 USD in Dec 2024, compared with the previous value of 7,549.747 USD in Dec 2023.
• Russia Annual Household Income per Capita data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1992 to Dec 2024, with an averaged value of 5,882.623 USD.
• The data reached an all-time high of 9,660.697 USD in Dec 2013 and a record low of 183.584 USD in Dec 1992.
• In the latest reports, Retail Sales of Russia grew 5.200 % YoY in Dec 2024.

Approximately one third of Russians considered themselves poor in mid-November 2020. The largest share of respondents, measuring at 64 percent, believed they belonged to the middle-income population. Over the observed period since 2004, the share of those who classified themselves as belonging to the middle class increased in the country.

This data collection consists of transcripts from 12 focus group discussions on themes related to social equality in Russia. The focus group discussions were conducted by the Institute of Applied Politics in Moscow, directed by Dr Kryshtanovskaya; using a discussion guide written by the Investigators. They were held in 12 cities chosen to represent different regions of the country, with an emphasis on provincial cities: Ufa, Kaliningrad, Ekaterinburg, Tiumen, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Volgograd, Ivanovo, Irkutsk, Obolensk, Vladivostok and Protvino. The respondents included a mix of ages, genders, blue and white collar workers. The focus groups in Protvino and Ulyanovsk were held only for respondents age 18-29. The focus group discussions dealt with household and national economic change, perceptions of social fairness, and welfare values. Specifically, respondents were asked about the state of the national and local economies, their household economy, how they define rich and poor people and how they position themselves in relation to these categories. They were asked about whether they perceived differences in wealth between individuals, regions and between urban and rural areas as fair, and whether such differences are increasing or decreasing. Finally they were asked about whether the rich should take more responsibility for the welfare of the poor, about their own personal responsibility and that of the state and businesses, as well as about progressive income taxes and the degree to which the state should control the economy. The discussion guide is provided in Russian and English. Basic information about the respondents, including gender, age, and occupation are provided at the top of each focus group transcript. Each participant is identified by their given name only. The transcripts are provided in Russian. The Russian text was transcribed by the Institute of Applied Politics from audio files. A parallel set of focus groups was conducted in China and are available as the collection Social equality forum China: Focus group transcripts (see Related Resources). Taken together, Russia and China account for 41 per cent of the total territory of the BRICs and 63 per cent of their GDP/PPP. On Goldman Sachs projections China will be the world’s largest economy by 2050, and Russia its sixth largest. The project will seek to examine the following propositions: (1) that these two BRIC countries are becoming increasingly unequal; (2) that within them, political power and economic advantage are increasingly closely associated; (3) that their political systems have increasingly been employed to ensure that no effective challenge can be mounted to that combination of government position and economic advantage; (4) that set against a broader comparative perspective, an increasingly unequal society in which government is effectively immune from conventional challenge is likely to become increasingly regressive, or unstable, or both. Evidence will be drawn from official statistics, interviews with policy specialists and government officials, two dozen focus groups, and an analysis of the composition of the management boards of the largest companies in both countries. A final part of the analysis will employ crossnational evidence to test a series of hypotheses relating to the association between inequality and political instability on a more broadly comparative basis. Focus group discussions held in 12 Russian cities with 6 participants each drawn from a range of ages, both genders and different professions. Two focus groups were held for respondents age 18-29 only.