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Serbia’s poverty and social exclusion rates improve slightly in 2024, but material deprivation persists

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In 2024, the poverty risk rate in Serbia was 19.7 percent, showing a slight improvement of 0.2 percentage points compared to 2023. Similarly, the risk of poverty or social exclusion fell to 24.3 percent, decreasing by 2.9 percentage points from the previous year, according to data from the Republic Institute of Statistics.

The poverty risk rate represents the share of individuals whose available equivalent income falls below the poverty threshold. In 2024, this threshold was on average 35,606 dinars per month for a single-person household. For households with two adults and one child under 14, the threshold was 64,091 dinars, while for a family of four with two adults and two children under 14, it stood at 74,773 dinars.

Older adults are the most vulnerable group, with nearly one in four people aged 65 and over (23.6 percent) facing poverty risk. Those aged 55 to 65 are also significantly affected, with a risk rate of 22.7 percent. Conversely, adults between 25 and 54 years of age have the lowest poverty risk, at 16.4 percent.

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Household composition strongly influences poverty risk. Single-member households headed by seniors face the highest risk, at 36.9 percent. Single parents with children also experience a high poverty risk of 34.5 percent, and families with three or more dependent children have a rate of 29.1 percent. In contrast, households with three or more adults have the lowest poverty risk, at 11.8 percent.

Employment status plays a major role in poverty risk. Unemployed individuals have the highest risk, at 50.8 percent, with unemployed men (57.6 percent) more affected than unemployed women (45.2 percent). Self-employed persons face a poverty risk of 12.7 percent, higher than the 4.8 percent for those employed by an employer. Pensioners have a poverty risk rate of 21.1 percent.

When social benefits are excluded from income calculations, the poverty risk rate rises to 24.7 percent. Excluding pensions specifically increases this risk dramatically, to 41.6 percent, underscoring the vital role of pensions in preventing poverty.

Income inequality increased slightly in 2024, with the Gini coefficient rising to 31.9 from 31.7 the year before, though it remains lower than the 32.6 recorded in 2022. The income gap between the richest 20 percent and the poorest 20 percent remains significant, with the richest earning 5.6 times more than the poorest.

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Despite gradual improvements, material deprivation remains widespread. About 38 percent of citizens cannot afford a week-long vacation away from home, 15 percent cannot afford meat or fish every other day, over one-third struggle to cover unexpected expenses, and 9.3 percent cannot afford adequate heating for their homes.

The Republic Institute of Statistics also tracks subjective poverty, measuring the proportion of people who find it difficult to make ends meet financially, reflecting ongoing economic challenges for many households.

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