The poverty risk rate in Croatia in 2011 rose by 0.5% compared to 2010 bringing it to 21.1%, the State Bureau of Statistics (DZS) reported this past week.
According to previous data released by DZS, the poverty threshold for households consisting of two adults and two children amounted to HRK 50,904 a year or HRK 4,242 a month.
Households with incomes under the threshold do not necessarily live in poverty, the DZS noted.
The unemployed are the most represented category facing risk of poverty. The poverty risk rate among the self-employed has seen a severe rise, increasing nearly 5%.
The DZS notes that if welfare allowances were to be left out of incomes, the poverty risk rate would in fact be 30.7%.
Poverty indicators are calculated based on income surveys which were introduced in Croatia in 2010 in compliance with European Union directives and Eurostat methodology.
Eurostat data indicates that the poverty risk rate in the EU-27 last year was 16.5%.
The lowest risk of poverty was recorded in the Czech Republic where it amounted to 9.8%, while the highest rate was recorded in Bulgaria at 22.4%.
