Number of Russians Living in Poverty Really Falling but by Far Less than Moscow Claims, ‘To Be Precise’ Says

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Mar. 28 – In recent years, the number and share of Russians living in poverty has fallen, largely as a result of changes in the economy as a result of the covid pandemic and Putin’s war in Ukraine; but these figures have fallen by far less than Moscow claims, according to an investigation by the To Be Precise portal.
    Last year, Rosstat, the Russian government’s statistical arm, undercounted the poor in Russia by 2.4 million, an outcome that it achieved by changing the definition of poverty. Had the previous definitions and the statistics supporting them been used, the number of poor would have fallen but by far less than Moscow claims (tochno.st/materials/vypali-iz-statistiki-rosstata-v-2024-godu).
    To Be Precise provides a detailed discussion of this statistical sleight of hand that is important both for those concerned about the actual level of poverty in Russia and for those who use Russian statistics more generally, Quite often, the portal says, the figures Moscow provides are accurate in terms of the definitions used but these definitions keep changing.  
    Over the last four years alone, Rosstat has changed the definitions it uses and so is able to offer statistics which conform to the Kremlin’s desires, not by open falsification but by statistical sleight of hand – and this is something that with each passing year of the Putin regime, students of that country must take into increasing attention.