Monitoring results show that more than a quarter of the entire population of Ukraine is living in extreme poverty. This was reported by Lyudmila Denisova, the representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on human rights, reports the press service of the ombudsman.
She reported that the living wage in Ukraine is about 75 dollars per person per month, and the minimum wage in the country is 176 dollars.
"Despite the increase in the level of wages, in Ukraine, such a phenomenon as "working poverty" is observed. According to experts' estimates, every third working person does not have enough wages to meet the basic needs of life, and every third working person works under the conditions of secondary employment," the ombudsman noted.
According to her, wage arrears in Ukraine have increased by 24%, now the debt is $200 million.
Also, the level of poverty among people of retirement age remains consistently high. About 80% of Ukrainian pensioners receive a pension below or at the level of the monetary poverty line.
In addition, the problem of poverty has intensified in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic — unemployment has increased, social security for persons with disabilities and low-income citizens has deteriorated.
