According to RIA Novosti, Director of the World Bank in Russia Reno Seligmann, according to the bank's forecast, in 2020 Russia's GDP will decrease by 4%, and 14.2% of the population may be below the poverty line, however, the measures taken by the authorities ensured a decrease in this indicator to 11. 6%.
“The fact that the projected poverty headcount for 2020 is about or slightly below the pre-pandemic forecast for this year indicates that the measures have achieved their main goal,” Seligmann said.
He added that the volume of support measures in Russia compared to comparable economies was similar and affordable for the budget.
“In terms of social measures, their combination was effective and was able to prevent the increase in poverty that could occur under the influence of the crisis,” - said the representative of the World Bank.
In addition, as it became known earlier, the World Bank improved the forecast for the recession of the Russian economy in 2020 from 5 to 4%.
In October, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov said that in Russia almost 20 million people are classified as poor, which is 13.5% of the population.