Prague, April 10 (CTK) – The number of Czechs threatened by poverty and social exclusion diminished last year by roughly 110,000 to 390,000, Michaela Jirkova, from the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), told journalists on Tuesday.
Poverty and social exclusion hits those who face material problems and can not afford to pay their rent regularly or to own a car, to eat meat every other day or to have a week-long holiday.
Last year, some 960,000 Czechs or 0.6 percent less were below the income poverty line, Jirkova said.
Although most households had sufficient incomes last year, 23.2 percent had problems in this sphere.
“The income poverty hit every eleventh Czech last year,” Jirkova said.
The biggest problems with incomes hit lone mothers and lone elderly women over 65.
A person is qualified as suffering from income poverty if he/she does not have 60 percent of the medium income, which was 11,195 crowns for an individual last year. It was 504 crowns higher than in 2016.
If there were two adults, the income poverty line was 16,792 crowns, while two years ago it was 16,036 crowns.
A lone parent with a child under 13 had 14.553 crowns, two years ago 13,898 crowns as the income poverty line.
For two parents with children under 13, the sum was increased from 22,450 crowns to 23,509 crowns.
Since 2012, the number of people who can afford a week-long holiday and an unexpected expenditure has been on the rise.
Six years ago, 43.5 percent of households could not afford a week-long holiday, but the proportion fell to one-quarter by last year.
In 2012, some 42.4 percent of Czechs could not pay an unexpected expenditure, but the figure fell to 28.1 percent by last year.
In the EU, the Czech Republic is one of the countries with the smallest rate of poverty and social exclusion.
Statisticians examine three categories: the income poverty, material deprivation and intensity of work.
At least one of the three observed facts threatened approximately 1.3 million people in the Czech Republic last year, while it was 1.4 million two years ago.
The total extent of threat by income poverty and social exclusion fell from 13.3 to 12.2 percent between 2016 and 2017.
Some 67 percent of households are able to save some money each month.
Two-thirds of the lone elderlies are able to do so, too. On the other hand, every other lone parent is unable to save any money.
Roughly one-fifth of Czech households repays some housing loan.
„The payment for prescribed drugs and freely accessible drugs and preparations is a large burden for 11.7 percent of households,“ Simona Mericka, from the CSU, said.
Roughly 9 percent of Czechs also have problems when having to pay at the dentists.
