GUS: 6.5% Poles lived in absolute poverty in 2015

According to a new report by the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the percentage of Poles at risk of extreme poverty has increased in recent years. The rate of people living below the breadline went up by nearly a percentage point, from 5.8 percent to 6.5 percent, between 2010 and 2015. In the same period, the total number of Poles eligible for social benefits reached the double digits, rising from 7.4 to 12.2 percent. The report also indicated a drop in the rate of people facing so-called relative poverty, a benchmark which denotes households with an income below 50 percent of the Polish average. The number of people affected went down from 17.4 to 15.5 percent of the entire population. Meanwhile, Poles drawing income from non-commercial sources, such as social benefits and pensions, were among citizens most at risk of extreme poverty, alongside farmers.