UrBC, Moscow, September 28, 2018. There are still too many people living below poverty line in Russia, even though 2018 will likely be the first one in the last four years when working-age people’s and retirees’ disposable incomes are expected to go up, Interfax refers to Head of Accounts Chamber Alexei Kudrin as stating.

‘Poverty rate is still alarmingly high: 19.3m people, that is, 13.2% of the country’s population, live on less than a living wage,’ Kudrin said at the State Duma session Thursday.

According to Kudrin, ‘this year will be the first one to result in growing disposable incomes: these went up by 2.6% in the eight months of the year (whereas in the last four years, the income figures dropped by 11%).

‘Retirees’ factual pensions grew by 3.6% last year after they had gone down by 3.7% in 2015-2016. The upward trend has continued for the seven months of this year so far as well,’ Kudrin said.

The official also pointed to a turn for the better the Russian economy took last year, and to its ever-faster recovery.