Every Third Pensioner in Bulgaria is at Risk of Poverty

Every third pensioner in Bulgaria is at risk of poverty. This is the data of the European Statistical Office Eurostat for 2017. By this indicator the country ranks fourth in the European Union. The three Baltic republics are ahead of Bulgaria, reports Dnevnik. 

A total of 32.4% of retired people in the country, including retired people due to disease, are at risk of poverty. This is the highest rate for the past eight years, the survey found.

Estonia is the leader in this indicator by 46.1%. Latvia and Lithuania rank third and fourth with 43.7% and 36.7% respectively. The lowest is the risk of poverty among retired people in France, where only 7% of them are at risk of financial problems. The EU average is 14.2%, with a steady increase since 2013.

Between 2010 and 2017, the proportion of female pensioners in the EU at risk of poverty is about 2-3 percent higher than that for men. In 2017, in only four countries the percentage of female pensioners at risk of poverty is more than 10%, among them Bulgaria. The other three are the Baltic states again.

Eurostat states that at risk of poverty are people who, after deduction of social payments, have a lower income than 60% of the country average.