It is the ratio of expenditure on food to the lump sum of general expenses of a family. In 1992, the Russian government set the limit at 68 per cent for households, and 83 per cent for pensioners. Households or pensioners spending more than this sum on food were treated as poor. Using this yardstick, the percentage of the poor in 1992 was estimated to be as high as 90.
Leave a Reply