Average monthly pension does not cover minimum subsistence level, statistics

The minimum subsistence level in the third quarter of this year fell by about 14% to 1,085.4 lei on average per person, down 13.9% from the third quarter of last year, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the National Bureau of Statistics. The decrease is mainly due to the lower prices of the food products included in the minimum consumer basket. The minimum subsistence level for the able to work people was the highest - 1,142.8 lei, especially men – 1,212.5 lei. For pensioners, it was 929.2 lei and made up 85.6% of the average value per total population. The minimum subsistence level for children was 1,021.4 lei on average a month. This indicator varies depending on the age of the child – from 427.5 lei per a child younger than one year to 1,126.1 lei per a child aged between 7 and 16. The monthly available incomes of the population in the third quarter of this year were 1,272.5 lei on average per person. The ratio of the monthly available incomes of the population to the average subsistence level was 117.2%, as against 96.8% in the same period last year. The average monthly salary in economy in the third quarter of this year was 2,574.7 lei, up 4.5% from the same period last year. The ratio between the average monthly salary and the average subsistence level for the able to work people differs depending on the sectors of the national economy. The monthly average pension on October 1, 2009 was 775.0 lei, up 20.3% from October 1, 2008. Thus, the minimum subsistence level for pensioners was 83.4% covered, as against 60.0% in the third quarter last year.