According to the latest DZS report on poverty and social exclusion indicators for 2018, the poverty risk rate was 19.3% while the rate set in relation to the year 2012 was 13.9%.
In 2018, 8.6% of people were in a state of severe material deprivation and 24.8% lived at risk of poverty or social exclusion. If social transfers and pensions are excluded from income, the percentage of people at risk of poverty rises to 42.9%.
People living along the coast live better than those in the interior
The survey with poverty risk indicators divides Croatia into Adriatic Croatia and Continental Croatia and shows that people living on the coast live a little better than those in the interior.
The poverty risk rate for Adriatic Croatia was 18.4%, while for Continental Croatia it was 19.7%, and the indicator for persons at risk of poverty for the two regions was 24.6% for Adriatic Croatia and 24.9% for Continental Croatia.
The poverty risk rate according to age and gender was the highest among people aged 65 and above - 28.1%. In that age group, the difference according to gender is the highest, with women being at higher risk of poverty. The poverty risk rate was 31.1% for women and 23.5% for men.
The risk of poverty was the lowest in the age group 25-54 and their risk rate was 14.3%, with the rates being similar for both genders in that age group.
Unemployed persons were at the highest risk of poverty, as high as 47.6%, and the risk rate was the lowest for employed persons - 4.6%. The poverty risk threshold for a single-member household was HRK 29,820 annually, while for a household with two adults and two children under the age of 14 it was HRK 62,622.
As for material deprivation, that is, indicators that affect the quality of life of households, 52.9% of people lived in households that could not cover an unexpected financial expense; 51.3% could not afford a week-long holiday outside their home; and accommodation costs were a significant financial burden for 49.6% of those surveyed.
17.5% of persons lived in households that were late with paying bills
As many as 17.5% of people lived in households that were late with paying bills due to financial problems; 10.1% could not afford every other day a meal containing meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent; and 7.7% could not afford adequate heating in the coldest months.
The percentage of those who lived in households that made ends meet very easily was the lowest - 0.6%; 40% lived in households with small difficulty making ends meet; 28.6% lived in households having trouble make ends meet; and 14.1% lived in households where making ends meet was very difficult.
The indicators are based on the concept of relative poverty that takes into account disposable household income, the number of household members, and the distribution of income within population, the basic indicator being the poverty risk rate.
The poverty risk rate does not show how many people are really poor but rather how many have an income that is below the poverty risk threshold. The poverty risk threshold was set at 60% of the mean value of the equivalent disposable income of all persons.