Moldovan residents' available revenues exceed subsistence minimum by 20 per cent in 2018

Chisinau, 02 April /MOLDPRES/ – The monthly available earnings per person were 2,383.1 lei, while expenditures amounted 1891.0 lei in 2018. The available incomes of the population increased over 2018 by 6.1 per cent compared to 2017, while the subsistence minimum increased four times slower by 1.5 percent, according to data released today by the National Bureau of Statistics (BNS). 

According to the BNM, the average monthly salary of an employee in 2018 amounted to 6446.4 lei and covered the subsistence minimum for the working-age population 3.2 times.

The statisticians also note that the subsistence minimum differs significantly depending on the residence environments. The population of the Chisinau and Balti municipalities spent 2107.9 lei per person per month in order to ensure their subsistence minimum, while in other cities it was 11.6 per cent less, while in villages the value of the subsistence minimum was 1795.8 lei. The size of the subsistence minimum by place of residence is determined by the weight of the food basket, which varies not only by semester, but also by the fact that the rural population provides a large part of this grocery basket from their own household.

By population categories, the maximum value of the subsistence minimum is for the working age population – 2016.1 lei and especially for men – 2186.7 lei, the lowest one being for children aged up to one year – 712.8 lei.

The ratio of the average monthly salary to the average subsistence minimum for the working-age population differs according to the national economy's activities. The maximum coverage level of the subsistence minimum for the working-age population was reached by employees in the information and communication sector – 7.1 times, while the minimum – by employees in art, recreation and leisure activities, whose salaries cover the subsistence minimum of 1.9 times.

The BNS data show that the minimum subsistence for pensioners was 1574.2 lei and represents 83.2 per cent of the average for total population. The average size of the monthly pension set on 01 January 2019 amounted to 1709.2 lei, which makes it possible to cover the subsistence minimum for this category of population at 108.6 per cent.