site.btaOver 30% of Bulgarians at Risk of Poverty, Social Exclusion in 2024

The share of Bulgarians living below the poverty line grew in 2024 on an annual basis, but the number of people living in severe material and social deprivation decreased, show data of the National Statistical Institute presented Friday. The number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion increased by 1,952,700 last year.

In 2024, the poverty line for Bulgaria was BGN 763.83 on average per household member a month. At that rate, 1,401,300 people or 21.7% of the country's population were below the poverty line. Compared to 2023, the poverty line increased by 19.7% and the relative share of the poor increased by 1.1 percentage points.

In 2023, the poverty line was BGN 637.92, and 1,325,900 people or 20.6% of the country's population were below the poverty line. Compared to the previous year, the poverty line increased by 21.3% and the relative share of the poor population decreased by 2.3 percentage points.

The general indicators of poverty assessment include subjective indicators related to material deprivation. They show the subjective assessment and personal attitude of the persons and households related to the possibility to meet individual needs. By 2020, nine questions related to the consumption of specific goods and services were used to assess the material deprivation of households. From 2021, a new indicator of severe material and social deprivation was included which shows the lack of necessary and desirable items for living a worthy life. It is calculated as the share of persons in the population who cannot afford 7 out of 13 items - 6 at the individual level and 7 at the household level. Last year, 16.6% of the population lived in severe material and social deprivation (limitations in 7 out of 13 items), or 1.4 percentage points less compared to 2023.

In relation to the goals set in key areas in the Europe 2030 strategy, a combined indicator for regular monitoring of countries’ progress in implementing the national targets is calculated using data from the Survey of Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). The indicator includes at-risk-of-poverty rate, severe material and social deprivation rate and rate of people living in households with low work intensity. The combining of the three indicators shows that last year, 30.3% of the population, or 1,952,700 persons, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.