Russian Federation: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Russian Federation's proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) fell 0.2 percentage points on 2022 (from 11% to 10.8%).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1997 to 2022), the average change was −0.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.52 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3 percentage points in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.7 percentage points in 1997. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.6 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 88% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Russian Federation had the 20th highest value of the 33 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Russian Federation in the 2023 ranking

• Austria — 17th of 33: 11%
• Portugal — 18th of 33: 11%
• Sweden — 19th of 33: 11%
• Philippines — 21st of 33: 10.6%
• Slovak Republic — 22nd of 33: 10.6%
• Malta — 23rd of 33: 10.4%

What this measures

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 2021 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.

Limitations: Despite progress in the last decade, the challenges of measuring poverty remain. The timeliness, frequency, quality, and comparability of household surveys need to increase substantially, particularly in the poorest countries. The availability and quality of poverty monitoring data remains low in small states, countries with fragile situations, and low-income countries and even some middle-income countries. The low frequency and lack of comparability of the data available in some countries create uncertainty over the magnitude of poverty reduction. Besides the frequency and timeliness of survey data, other data quality issues arise in measuring household living standards.

All 29 values

Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) in nearby economies

• Albania — 9.6% (2020)
• Armenia — 6.2% (2024)
• Austria — 11% (2023)
• Belarus — 3.9% (2020)
• Belgium — 8.3% (2023)
• Bulgaria — 14.6% (2023)
• Croatia — 12.1% (2023)
• Cyprus — 7.5% (2023)
• Czechia — 7% (2023)

More poverty data for Russian Federation

• Income share held by second 20% — 12.1% (2023)
• Income share held by third 20% — 16.5% (2023)
• Income share held by fourth 20% — 22.7% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 20% — 41% (2023)
• Income share held by highest 10% — 25.1% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 10% — 3.1% (2023)
• Income share held by lowest 20% — 7.7% (2023)
• Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (% of population) — 0.1% (2023)
• Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) (%) — 0% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Russian Federation's proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%)?

10.8% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1993?

It is down 9.8 percentage points from 20.6% in 1993. The highest value was 20.8% in 1996 and the lowest 10.8% in 2023.

How does Russian Federation rank?

20th highest of 33 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%) unusual for Russian Federation?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SI.DST.50MD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: 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. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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