FIRST RELEASE

CROATIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS
10000 ZAGREB, ILICA 3, PHONE: +385 1 4806-111, P.O.B. 80, CROATIA

ISSN 1334-0565

 

YEAR: XLVI.

ZAGREB, 2 OCTOBER, 2009

NUMBER: 14.1.2.

 

 

OBLIGED TO NOTIFY DATA SOURCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POVERTY INDICATORS, 2006 – 2008

 

 

The poverty indicators for Republic of Croatia were calculated by using data on the total net income of private households collected through the Household Budget Survey (HBS). The indicators are based on a relative poverty concept which takes into consideration disposable household income, number of household members (household size) and the income distribution within the population.

 

The indicators were calculated for two definitions of net income (Table 1) depending on whether the income includes both cash earnings and benefits in kind (see Table 1, column “With income in kind”) or cash earnings only (see Table 1, column “Without income in kind”), in order to present the influence of benefits in kind on income and, consequently, on the at-risk-of-poverty threshold and the at-risk-of-poverty rate.

 

The poverty threshold is determined by calculating the equivalised income per household member for all households. Afterwards, the middle value of the income distribution is determined (the median) and 60% of the median is determined as the risk-of-poverty threshold. Everyone with the income below the threshold is in a worse situation than others, but they do not necessarily live in deprivation. The at-risk-of-poverty threshold is presented in currencies, while the at-risk-of-poverty rate is presented in relative terms as a percentage.

 

According to the income definition, which includes cash earnings and benefits in kind, the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Republic of Croatia in 2008 was 17.4%, the same as in the previous year. The at-risk-of-poverty threshold at the annual level amounted in 2008 to 24 311 kuna for a one-person household and to 51 054 kuna for a household consisting of two adults and two children.

 

The at-risk-of-poverty rate, by age and sex, was in 2008 the highest for persons aged 65 years and over. This rate was 34.4% for women and 26.2% for men. The lowest rate was for persons aged from 25 to 49 years. This rate was 10.2% for men and 11.4% for women.

 

 

1.   POVERTY INDICATORS

 

Income

Whit income in kind

Without  income in kind

2006.

2007.

2008.

2006.

2007.

2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At-risk-of-poverty rate, %

16,3

17,4

17,4

19,3

19,0

18,9

At-risk-of-poverty threshold for one-person households, kuna

22 196

23 969

24 311

20 926

22 311

23 327

At-risk-of-poverty threshold for households
consisting of two adults and two children, kuna

46 611

50 336

51 054

43 945

46 853

48 987

At-risk-of-poverty rate by age and sex, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Men

15,1

15,9

15,5

18,1

17,7

17,0

        Women

17,4

18,7

19,1

20,4

20,3

20,6

0 – 15 years

13,8

15,4

15,4

17,2

16,3

17,1

        Men

14,1

14,9

15,0

17,5

15,7

16,7

Women

13,5

16,0

15,8

16,9

17,0

17,5

16 – 24 years

11,9

15,0

14,4

14,2

16,0

14,7

        Men

12,6

14,2

13,7

15,7

16,1

14,2

Women

11,1

15,9

15,2

12,7

15,9

15,2

25 – 49 years

11,2

11,7

10,8

13,7

12,5

11,7

        Men

11,2

11,5

10,2

13,7

12,8

11,1

        Women

11,3

11,9

11,4

13,7

12,3

12,4

50 – 64 years

14,7

16,9

15,5

17,3

18,2

18,0

        Men

13,6

16,8

15,7

16,5

18,5

18,4

        Women

15,6

17,0

15,4

18,0

18,0

17,7

65 years and over

29,5

29,0

31,2

33,7

33,2

32,9

        Men

26,9

25,2

26,2

30,3

28,9

27,7

        Women

31,3

31,4

34,4

35,9

36,0

36,3

 


1.    POVERTY INDICATORS

 (continued)

 

Income

 

Whit income in kind

Without  income in kind

2006.

2007.

2008.

2006.

2007.

2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At-risk-of-poverty rate, by most frequent activity
status, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employees

2,8

4,1

3,7

4,2

4,2

4,1

        Men

(3,3)

5,0

4,8

5,2

5,2

5,5

        Women

(2,1)

(3,1)

(2,4)

(2,8)

(3,0)

(2,3)

Self-employed

18,5

17,9

22,3

25,1

24,1

28,0

        Men

18,6

18,6

20,4

24,8

25,5

25,8

        Women

18,4

16,9

24,6

25,5

22,2

30,7

Unemployed

31,2

34,5

32,6

33,4

35,8

33,8

        Men

34,6

42,8

39,3

36,0

43,7

40,4

        Women

28,5

27,0

27,1

31,2

28,6

28,5

Retired

22,7

22,8

23,4

25,4

24,8

24,7

        Men

23,6

22,3

21,2

26,5

24,5

22,2

        Women

22,1

23,1

25,1

24,6

25,1

26,6

Other economically inactive

24,9

28,2

26,1

29,1

30,7

27,3

        Men

20,1

19,7

20,6

24,2

22,4

21,8

        Women

27,3

32,4

29,1

31,6

34,9

30,3

At-risk-of-poverty rate, by household type and age, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

One-person household

38,1

36,5

39,8

43,3

41,3

40,7

        Men

34,0

27,9

31,1

39,5

33,6

31,7

        Women

39,8

39,8

43,3

44,8

44,3

44,2

One-person household, 30 – 64 years

29,0

28,2

28,0

35,0

30,8

30,3

        Men

(29,9)

(26,6)

(32,0)

(36,0)

(33,2)

(34,8)

        Women

(28,4)

(29,4)

(24,3)

(34,3)

(29,0)

(26,3)

One-person household, 65 years and over

43,8

41,5

47,8

48,7

47,5

48,0

        Men

(40,0)

(30,5)

(34,7)

(45,7)

(35,2)

(32,5)

        Women

44,8

44,1

50,5

49,5

50,5

51,3

Two adults, no dependent children,  both adults under 65 years

13,6

17,7

16,4

14,9

18,8

19,1

Two adults, no dependent children, at least one adult 65 years or over

29,0

28,7

28,1

33,0

31,9

30,0

Other households with  no dependent children

10,6

8,9

6,9

12,8

10,6

8,8

Single parent household, one or more dependent children

32,9

(26,0)

40,4

35,6

(23,6)

38,6

Two adults, one dependent child

11,7

11,2

10,7

13,0

12,6

10,7

Two adults, two dependent children

8,2

10,1

12,8

10,2

10,3

12,9

Two adults, three or more dependent children

24,5

25,9

18,9

28,7

27,7

19,5

Other households with dependent children

8,0

12,3

11,6

11,6

13,3

14,5

At-risk-of-poverty rate by tenure status, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenant

19,3

21,4

20,9

19,7

18,2

17,5

Owner or rent free

16,2

17,2

17,2

19,3

19,1

18,9

Inequality of income distribution – quintile share ratio (S80/S20)

4,2

4,3

4,6

4,8

4,9

4,9

Gini coefficient

0,28

0,28

0,29

0,29

0,30

0,30

Relative at-risk-of-poverty gap, %

22,5

21,9

24,9

26,4

24,9

25,4

Dispersion around the at-risk-of-poverty threshold

 

 

 

 

 

 

40% cut off

5,1

5,2

6,4

7,1

7,2

7,8

50% cut off

10,4

10,5

11,3

12,8

12,6

13,1

70% cut off

24,2

24,0

25,4

27,2

26,3

26,2

At-risk-of-poverty threshold before social transfers, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social transfers excluded from income

24,1

24,3

25,5

27,2

26,3

26,7

Pensions and social transfers excluded from income

41,8

41,6

43,1

44,4

43,4

44,4

 

 

The at-risk-of-poverty rate, by the most frequent activity status, was calculated according to the primary (main) activity status of persons aged 15 years and over. In 2008, it was the highest for unemployed persons, 32.6%, other economically inactive persons, 26.1% and for retired persons, 23.4%.

 

The at-risk-of-poverty rate, according to a household type, was the highest in all observed years for one-person households, particularly for households of persons aged 65 years and over, and in 2008 it amounted to 47.8%. The second highest poverty rate according to a household type was registered in single parent households with one or more dependent children, which amounted to 40.4% in 2008.

 

 

The quintile share ratio (S80/S20) is an indicator of income inequality and it measures changes in the top and bottom quintiles. It represents the ratio between the total equivalised income of the 20% of population with the highest income and the 20% of population with the lowest income. This ratio reached 4.6 in 2008.

 

Gini coefficient, as a measure of income inequality, takes into consideration the total distribution of income and in 2008 it was 0.29. Its value ranges between 0 and 1. If there was a perfect equality, that is, if each person received the same income, the Gini coefficient would be 0. The higher it is the greater the income inequality is.

 


In order to examine the at-risk-of-poverty sensitivity and to determine alternative thresholds, three different thresholds have been considered, as follows: 40%, 50% and 70% equivalised income medians – an indicator of the dispersion around the at-risk-of-poverty threshold. Thus, the likelihood for a person of being at the risk of poverty varied in 2008 from 6.4% to 25.4% for thresholds set at 40% and 70% of the median respectively. It is 11.3% if a 50% cut off is taken into account.

 

At-risk-of-poverty rate before social transfers is calculated by excluding social transfers from the total income. This indicator should be used in connection with the standard at-risk-of-poverty rate in order to evaluate the impact of social transfers. A comparison between the standard at-risk-of-poverty rate, 17.4%, and a hypothetical situation where social transfers are absent shows that such transfers have an important redistributive effect that helps in reducing the number of people who are at the risk of poverty. The poverty risk is extremely high and, in the absence of all social transfers and pensions, in 2008 it reached 43.1%. If pensions are considered as a primary income rather than a form of a social transfer, the at-risk-of-poverty rate without social transfers was 25.5%.

 

Table 2. shows a few base indicators for the EU countries for 2007, which were calculated according to the net income definition, which includes only cash earnings. Those indicators were calculated on the basis of data collected for the Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (EU-SILC). This Survey is a basic data source for calculations of poverty indicators, income distribution, social exclusion and deprivation for the EU countries. The EU-SILC survey significantly methodologically differs (in purpose, survey contents, sample design, reference periods etc.) from the HBS that was used for the calculation of poverty indicators for the Republic of Croatia (table 1). Furthermore, the set of indicators calculated from the EU-SILC survey data is much broader then the one calculated from the HBS data.

 

 

2.   POVERTY INDICATORS FOR EU COUNTRIES1), 2007

 

At-risk-of-poverty
rate, %

Quintile share ratio
(S80/S20)

Gini coefficient

At-risk-of-poverty rate,
social transfers
 excluded, %

At-risk-of-poverty rate, pensions and social
 transfers excluded, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

EU 27

17

5,0

0,31

26

43

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austria

12

3,8

0,26

25

43

Belgium

15

3,9

0,26

28

42

Bulgaria

22

6,9

0,35

26

42

Cyprus

16

4,5

0,30

21

28

Czech Republic

10

3,5

0,25

20

38

Denmark

12

3,7

0,25

27

37

Estonia

19

5,5

0,33

25

37

Finland

13

3,7

0,26

29

41

France

13

3,8

0,26

26

46

Greece

20

6,0

0,34

24

42

Ireland

18

4,8

0,31

33

40

Italy

20

5,5

0,32

24

43

 


2.   POVERTY INDICATORS FOR EU COUNTRIES1), 2007

 (continued)

 

At-risk-of-poverty
rate, %

Quintile share ratio
(S80/S20)

Gini coefficient

At-risk-of-poverty rate,
social transfers
 excluded, %

At-risk-of-poverty rate, pensions and social
 transfers excluded, %

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latvia

21

6,3

0,35

27

39

Lithuania

19

5,9

0,34

26

38

Luxembourg

14

4,0

0,27

23

39

Hungary

12

3,7

0,26

29

49

Malta

14

3,8

0,26

22

34

Netherlands

10

4,0

0,28

21

35

Germany

15

5,0

0,30

25

43

Poland

17

5,3

0,32

27

47

Portugal

18

6,5

0,37

24

40

Romania

25

7,8

0,38

31

46

Slovenia

12

3,3

0,23

23

40

Slovakia

11

3,5

0,24

18

38

Spain

20

5,3

0,31

24

39

Sweden

11

3,4

0,23

28

42

United Kingdom

19

5,5

0,33

30

42

 

 

 

 

 

 

CROATIA2)

19

4,9

0,30

26

43

 

          Source: Eurostat - Income, Social Inclusion and Living Conditions

 

1)    The EU-SILC2007 survey is a data source for the calculation of indicators for EU countries.

2)    In order to enable their comparison with EU countries, indicators for the Republic of Croatia, calculated from the HBS data, are also presented here. It should be noticed that indicators are not fully comparable due to methodological differences in data sources.

 

 

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

 

The data source

 

The poverty indicators for Republic of Croatia were calculated by using data on total net income of a household and all household members collected through the Household Budget Survey (HBS). The Survey was carried out on the random sample of private households in such a way that the sample was separately defined for each year (2006, 2007 and 2008), that is, there was not a panel part of the sample (households were not repeatedly interviewed every year).

 

Definitions

 

The Eurostat methodology and definitions applied in calculation of indicators for Republic of Croatia are adjusted to the national data source (HBS). The indicators were calculated for two definitions of net income depending on whether the income includes both cash earnings and benefits in kind or cash earnings only in order to present the influence of benefits in kind on income. Benefits in kind consist of value of goods and services produced in own business or craft and consumed or used in own household, income from work carried out for benefits in kind and other benefits in kind.

 

Total income of household is the total net income received by household and all its members. It includes income from paid employment, income from self-employment, property income, pensions, social transfers and other receipts received from persons who are not household members.

 

Income from paid employment includes all net incomes from employment in Republic of Croatia and abroad, refund for holidays, remuneration for meals, refund for transport costs, remuneration for living separately, jubilee and other rewards, special rewards in cash or kind and income from student’s or pupil’s work through student or pupil employment agency.

 

Income from self-employment includes the income earned from own craft, firm, free-lance, agricultural property, author’s fees, occasional and temporary work, income in cash or kind obtained through the direct deal, income from leasing of business premises and  movables as well as goods and services produced in own production and consumed or used in own household.

 

Income from property includes income from royalties from patents and author’s property, income from interests on savings deposits, income from bonds and other securities, income from letting flat, house, weekend/summer house, garage and rooms and income from leasing of land.

 

Pensions include remuneration for old age pensions from the Republic of Croatia or abroad.

 


Social transfers include remunerations related to unemployment and retaining, dismissal contributions and severance pays due to continuous problem of surplus workers, family pensions, income related to family (child allowance, maternity leave benefits, layette assistance), compensation for sick leave, compensation for bodily impairments, rehabilitation allowances, disability pensions, refunds of housing ixpenditures from other persons, social welfare receipts, scholarships and scholastic awards and grants.  

 

Other receipts include received alimonies, income tax repayment received (based on income tax application form) and received free gifts in cash from Republic of Croatia or abroad from persons who are not household members.

 

Household is every family or other community of individuals who live together and spend their income together for meeting the basic existential needs (accommodation, food and so on). Household is every person who lives alone, as well (one-person household).

 

At-risk-of-poverty rate is a percentage of persons with the equivalised total disposable income below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

 

The at-risk-of-poverty threshold is defined at 60% of the central value of the income distribution. In this case the central value is a median, which is selected as a statistical measure. The threshold is calculated for the population as a whole and is expressed in the terms of the equivalised income taking into account the size and content of a household.

 

Equivalised income is calculated in a way that the total household income is divided by equivalised household size according to the modified OECD scale, in which the household head is given coefficient 1, every other adult aged 15 and over is given coefficient 0.5 and every child under 15 years of age is given coefficient 0.3. This procedure is applied in order to allot equal share to each member with respect to joint earnings.

 

Relative at-risk-of-poverty gap is a difference between the at-risk-of-poverty threshold and equivalised income median of persons below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold, expressed as a percentage of the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

 

Abbreviations

 

HBS           Household Budget Survey

EU             European Union

OECD       Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

SILC          Statistics on Income and Living Conditions

 

Symbols

 

(  )   insufficiently reliable estimate