In Ukraine, the poverty level is critically high and significantly exceeds the indicators of countries that the state uses as benchmarks. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Social Policy Daria Marchak in an interview with Radio Liberty, commenting on new World Bank data on poverty assessment.
According to the updated methodology, which is based on open data on pensions, about 8.8 million Ukrainians currently live below the poverty line. “This is a very complex issue, but it is clear that the poverty level in our country is difficult to accept,” Marchak said.
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She acknowledged that the current programme of assistance to low-income families covers an insufficient number of people — about 180–190 thousand families, while the scale of the problem is much broader. According to the official, the social protection system needs to be changed so that it not only covers basic needs but also helps people escape poverty in the long term. This includes education, returning to the labour market and possibly changing place of residence to find better employment opportunities.
“Money should be provided together with services. Support should stimulate activity, not just compensate for need,” the deputy minister emphasised.
She noted separately that this approach cannot be applied to pensioners, for whom other support models need to be created.
Another problem is the size of the subsistence minimum. According to Marchak, the current official figures lag significantly behind real needs. “The actual subsistence minimum should be at least twice as high as that provided for by law,” she stressed.
The ministry is already considering a significant increase in monthly payments, although the final amount has not yet been agreed upon. “We are not talking about 860 hryvnias, but about several thousand hryvnias per month,” the official said.
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