The number of Russian families who cannot afford large purchases such as household appliances or furniture increased in 2019.
This number increased throughout the year and amounted to 49.2% in the first quarter, and 49.4% in the second. However, the number of families who can afford to buy both equipment and furniture, but are unable to buy a car or improve their living conditions, is also growing, now there are 32.6% of such households, RBC reports.
They cannot buy anything except food, and they also have difficulties with paying utility bills now 14.1% against 16.1% in 2018. Moreover, 37% of them live in the Altai Republic. Also, 31.6% of respondents from the Penza region, 30.1% from Kabardino-Balkaria and 29.7% from the Ryazan region stated their difficult financial situation.
As News.ru wrote earlier, a study by the Levada Center showed that the average per capita income of 40% of Russian families is below 12.5 thousand rubles a month. This "subjective poverty line" turned out to be 11.6% higher than the subsistence minimum established by the authorities (11.2 thousand rubles a month).
