The poorest regions of Hungary

More than half a million people have managed to rise out of extreme poverty since the change of government in 2010, State Secretary Katalin Langerné Victor claimed in July this year. However, the statistics of the Central Statistical Office (KSH) on poverty show a different picture. The KHS’s wealth distribution and poverty statistics between 2003 and 2015 indicate that the poverty rate was 12,3pc in 2010, and it increased to 14,9pc in 2015, penzcentrum.hu writes.

Although there seems to be a discrepancy in the statistics, the growing differences in the layers of Hungarian society are geographically traceable. The latest KHS statistics on the quality of life in Hungary confirms the increasing financial polarity of households. The wealthiest region is Central Hungary where the per capita income is HUF 105 thousand (EUR 338) a month, while in the Northern Great Plain region people have only HUF 76 thousand (EUR 244) to make ends meet.

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The contrast is even greater when the country’s districts – small towns and villages clustered together around an administrative centre – are considered. In the poorest villages the net income per capita is two and a half times smaller than in the wealthiest districts.

Children, youth, single parents, unemployed people, and Roma people are most likely to be subject to poverty and social exclusion. The quality of life in a region is also influenced by employment opportunities. Unemployment rates in the poorest parts of the country are above 10pc, and in some regions it can reach as high as 16pc. For comparison, unemployment rates in the wealthiest districts are around 3pc.

Copy editor: bm

Source: penzcentrum.hu