THE EU's statistical office, Eurostat, has published data indicating that Slovaks are the most susceptible to poverty out of all of the 10 new EU members.
According to Eurostat, 21 percent of people in Slovakia live under the poverty line, while in the neighbouring Czech republic the number is only eight percent, and the EU average is 15 percent, the SME daily wrote.
Eurostat set the poverty line at three fifths of the average monthly wage of a country. In Slovakia the poverty line is thus Sk8,619 (€215). However, the nation's minimal wage set by law is obly Sk6,080 (€152).
Statisticians have warned, however, that the figures may be misleading, as the level of wages differs in various states and the poverty risk threshold also depends on the type of household.
For instance, if one-member households were included in the study, and if the purchasing power of a country’s inhabitants were also taken into consideration, then the biggest risk of poverty susceptibility would belong to Cyprus, followed by Slovenia, Malta, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, wrote SME.
Compiled by Martina Jurinová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
