The poverty level in Armenia continues to decline, yet about 65% of the country's population still falls into the category of poor or economically vulnerable. This was stated by Armine Manukyan, Senior Economist at the World Bank, during the presentation of the "Armenia Economic Pulse" report.
According to World Bank data, the share of poor residents decreased from 26.5% in 2021 to 21.7% in 2024, based on national methodology. Additionally, another 43.4% of the population are considered vulnerable – their consumption level exceeds the poverty line by no more than 1.5 times. Such households can quickly return to poverty if they lose their jobs, experience a decrease in income, or face other economic problems.
The highest poverty level is recorded in rural areas – 26.1%, while in cities outside Yerevan, the indicator is 22.8%, and in the capital – 16.9%. The most challenging indicators are observed in the Shirak and Tavush regions, where poverty levels are close to 49% and 47%, respectively. The World Bank attributes this to low productivity of employment in agriculture, the prevalence of self-employment, and informal work.
According to the international poverty criterion for upper-middle-income countries – $8.3 per person per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity – the share of poor in Armenia in 2024 reached 47.4%. At the same time, the World Bank notes that the level of inequality in the country remains relatively low: the international Gini index is 27.4.