Poverty in Ukraine is diminishing

The poverty level in Ukraine fell to 12% in 2017, according to Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia.Ukraine (ZN.UA) weekly has reported, referring to Deputy Execute Director of KIIS Viktoria Zakhozha. She said that from 1994 to 2017, the poverty level in Ukraine changed. The worst situation was in the late 1990s. In 1998, 52% of respondents believed that they were almost starving. Then the situation improved, and for 10 years – until 2008 – the poverty level decreased to 11%. “And this is one of the few, but important achievements of Ukraine over the years. In 2008, after the outbreak of the global crisis, the level of poverty increased to 21%, but then the situation began to improve. Before the start of the military conflict, in 2013, the poverty level was 9%, almost doubling from 2014 to 2016, to 17%, but in the last year the situation has improved and the poverty level has dropped to 12%”, Zakhozha said.