Multidimensional Poverty Assessment: Experience of Ukraine

Inna OssipovaHousehold Survey DepartmentState Statistics Service of Ukraine

Poverty is an inability caused by lack of funds to maintain standard of living inherent to a given society in a given period of time.

Poverty level is a share of population (households) whose consumption (income) level per capita is below an established poverty threshold.

Poverty line is a level of income (expenditures) below which it is impossible to satisfy basic needs.

Subsistence minimum is a cost estimate of an adequate set of food products to ensure normal functioning of a human body and health and a minimum set of non-food goods and services essential to satisfy basic social and cultural needs of a person.

Subsistence minimum is established for different social and demographic subgroups of population and used as a basis for defining state social guarantees.

Thresholds and criteria for measuring poverty

Official poverty monitoring:•75% of median monthly expenditures per capita used as a relative poverty threshold and 60% of the median used as an extreme poverty threshold (poverty is measured based on expenditures); •official subsistence minimum used as an absolute poverty threshold (based on income);• $5 per capita a day by purchasing power parity (PPP) used as an absolute poverty threshold for international comparisons (based on expenditures).

Monitoring of Millennium Development Goal 1, to eradicate extreme poverty:• 75% of median equalized monthly expenditures per capita (based on expenditures); •actual subsistence minimum (estimated based on the official subsistence minimum and actual prices), (based on expenditures);• $5 per capita a day by purchasing power parity (PPP) (based on expenditures).

All monetary poverty indicators are monitored through using an equivalence scale whereby the first household member is assigned a factor of 1 and each other member is assigned a factor 0.7.

Poverty rates over time, by main defining criteria, 2000-2013Consumption expenditures below $5 per capita a day, by PPP

Income below official subsistence minimum

Expenditures below 60% of median equivalized monthly expenditures per capita a day

Poverty indicators based on different criteria, 2000-2013

Food expenditures 60% and above

Considered themselves as poor

Couldn’t afford even adequate food

Daily energy intake below 2100 kcal

Permanently denied themselves in basic things except for food

Had 4 and more deprivations out of 18, %

Deprivation poverty characterizes limited possibilities of some population related to the access to certain benefits not only those satisfying basic physiological needs, but also the needs attributed to personal development and adequate level of comfort.

The national list included 18 deprivation attributes. Deprivation poverty line is defined as a presence of at least 4 out of 18 attributes.

All attributes were tested for:

- frequency (attributes that were present in the majority of households were chosen)

- consensus ((most of the respondents found them essential for adequate living).

- correlation with the welfare level.

The Pearson correlation coefficients for almost all types of deprivations indicated high correlation between the incidence of each deprivation and the level of household income (The coefficients were calculated using distributions of equalized per capita incomes and incidence of deprivations among decile groups of population).

Deprivations

% of households that in 2013 Pearson

correlation coefficient

considered as poverty

attributes

had poverty attributes

 Economic deprivation  

  

1. Food - Not enough money to provide oneself with basic inexpensive food products

98.9 4.8 -0.778

2. Non-food products        Not enough money for        - renewal when necessary of outwear and footwear for cold weather for

adults once in 5 years 98.4 17.8 -0.858

  - purchase when necessary of outwear and footwear for children 99.1 6.6 -0.692  Lack of        - a TV set 96.9 2.4 -0.692 

- a refrigerator 98.5 3.1 -0.7113. Household housing conditions        Lack of housing in adequate condition (available housing requires major

repair, is damp, shabby, old) 99.4 9.4 -0.786

  Not enough money to pay in time and in full housing and utilities bills or for gas used for cooking 98.8 8.4 -0.792

  Availability of living space not exceeding 5 m2 per person 97.9 3.6 -0.1664. Healthcare - Not enough money to pay for necessary        - health services (except for dentist) in a health facility (in the absence or

difficulty to obtain such services free of charge), analyses, examinations and procedures prescribed by a doctor

98.9 21.2 -0.939

  - medicines and medical equipment prescribed by a doctor 99.2 21.6 -0.929  - inpatient treatment without a surgery (if such service is unavailable free of

charge) or a vital surgery (except for cosmetic) and subsequent inpatient treatment (if such services are unavailable free of charge)

99.2 21.2 -0.901

5 Education and early childhood care        Not enough money to receive some professional education 97.4 6.2 -0.718

Deprivations

% of households that in 2013

Pearson correlation coefficient

considered as poverty

attributes

had poverty attributes

  Infrastructure development      1 Lack of retail stores close to home 96.6 6.0 -0.8842 Lack of establishments providing consumer services

(hairdressing, laundry, dry-cleaning, clothes, footwear and home appliances repair, etc.) in the neighbourhood

95.5 17.0 -0.862

3 Lack of a health facility (medical and obstetric centre, outpatient clinic, polyclinic), a drugstore close to home

98.7 13.0 -0.862

4 Lack of access to modern emergency ambulance services in the locality

99.1 15.7 -0.860

5 Lack of pre-school facilities (kindergartens, nurseries) close to home

98.2 2.8 -0.758

6 Lack of regular daily transport connection with another locality with higher level of infrastructure (shop network, cultural and educational facilities, etc.)

98.2 8.6 -0.773

Poverty rates estimated using different criteria, 2013

Poor by relative measure24.5%

(10.7 mln)

Poor by deprivations

21.7% (9.5 mln.)

Poor by absolute measure 8.4% (3.7

mln.)

 

4.0%

1.1%0.5%

2.8%

5.0%

13.4%

12.7%

Poor by absolute measure

Poor by deprivations

Poor by relative measure

In 2013, out of the total population at risk of relative poverty 32% had 4 and more deprivations.

Among the population who suffered from absolute poverty measured by income 40% had the same number of deprivations.

Out of 22% of the population with 4 or more deprivations, 15% were categorized as poor by income and 36% of population was at relative poverty risk.

Three percent of the population was at risk of absolute, relative and deprivation poverty simultaneously. These were mostly single parent families living in rural areas. Usually, only one person works in such households.

Thirty nine percent of the population was affected at least by one of these forms of poverty (17 million)

When using monetary approaches, the highest poverty risks are typical for families with many children and families that have children and unemployed members. Higher risks are also found in households with 2 or more children and children under 3 years.

When using non-monetary approaches, the highest poverty risk is found in the households comprised of only elder persons (75 years and over).

Household Livings Standards Survey

 

Estimates for 2014-20182015 figures after changes due to ATO

and annexation of Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol

Total Cities Towns Rural Total Cities Towns Rural

Sample size, households

13,0291 6,288 3,096 3,645 12,2281 5,552 3,150 3,526

Locations 224 52 172 490 194 37 157 466

Participation rate, %

               

2013 (actual)

82.7 70.1 91.3 96.6        

Q3 2014 (actual)

        77.6 63.8 83.1 95.6

1 0.08% of total households

Outlook

•The existing system of statistical monitoring is incapable of identifying all aspects related to such a new phenomenon as sudden household poverty caused by warfare. To better understand the situation it is essential to look into additional sources of information alongside with traditional ones. 

•Introduction of a household income concept harmonized with the Eurostat requirements in the statistical practice of Ukraine – these activities are included into the Action Plan for implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union for 2014 - 2017 (Item 213) approved by the Government in September 2014. 

•The deprivation-related content of the surveys will be enlarged with a number of new indicators related to social participation and material deprivation among children. Estimates of poverty rates, including material deprivation poverty, will be carried out using European methodologies.