The results of the study, which were presented in Sarajevo on Wednesday, show that 17.8 percent of citizens in that country lived below the poverty line in 2004.
In the Croat-Muslim entity 15 percent of the population could be considered as poor while in the Serb entity the percent was higher, i.e. 21 percent.
The criterion for the determination of the poverty line in Bosnia was the annual income per capita which would not pass the income of 2223 convertible marks (1,137 euros), the line of the extreme poverty was the annual income lower than 772 convertible marks per capita (394 euros).
According to this criteria, there were no Bosnians living in extreme poverty.
The current population of Bosnia is estimated to be 3.8 million, and 681,455 citizens are poor.
In comparison to the poverty assessed in the previous period, 2004 saw a fall in the number of the poor. The number of the poor in the Serb entity was down by four percent as against 2001, and by one percent in the Croat-Muslim entity.
The conclusions of the study note as worrying the fact that a high number of children in the country are poor, which can have far-reaching consequences.