2024-04-23 16:39:07
BGN 2,616 is the allowance for a family with one child. 2/3 of Bulgarians do not earn money for a normal life
The amount needed for a family with one child to support itself has increased by BGN 107 in one year, and compared to 2 years earlier, its cost of living has increased by BGN 427. Thus, for two working parents and a child under 14, the minimum is now BGN 2,616 per month.
A single person must have a net income of BGN 1454 to cover his basic needs. However, more than 2/3 (65.3%) of working Bulgarians receive less than the living wage.
This was announced by KNSB leader Plamen Dimitrov in an analysis of income and subsistence for the first quarter of the year.
On a quarterly basis, the growth is 1%, on an annual basis it is 4.3%. The good news is that in a year
those whose salary is not enough to live on have decreased by about 5%
“This is thanks to our pressure for salary increases throughout the months, even in the private sector,” boasted Dimitrov. And report that for a year (from February 2023 to February 2024) there is nearly 15% growth in income.
However, the share of the working poor remains huge – there are 820,000 Bulgarians with an insurance income of up to BGN 1,000.
Inflation indices in the global economy are slowing down mainly because the prices of raw materials and energy carriers are under control, explained Violeta Ivanova, deputy head of the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research of the Central Bank of Ukraine. In Bulgaria, the drop in the price of natural gas on an annual basis is 46%, and of electricity for business – by 42%. Oil is up 9% year-on-year.
But although the increase in prices is at a slower pace, food products are becoming more expensive. This was largely due to the increase in vegetable prices by 8.3% on a quarterly basis (potatoes by 5.9%, cabbage by over 50%). Fish is up by 3%, fruits – by 1.9%. Soft drinks have also become more expensive. Growth in bread is weak – 0.3%, but on an annual basis it is 4 percent, and that of meat – by 6.2%. Eggs, oil and sugar are slightly cheaper. However, sugar and chocolate products rose in price by 4.2% in a year.
In total, the growth of the 20 main products in the small consumer basket on an annual basis is 4.2% – last year they cost BGN 108.79, currently they cost BGN 113.33.
Restaurants have raised prices by 8%
Bulgarians on a minimum wage can buy the basket at least times compared to Europeans with a minimum income, announced the director of the KNSB institute Luboslav Kostov.
Cheese, for example, is cheaper in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Croatia and Romania.
Cheese is slightly more expensive only in Germany – 9.99 euros per kilogram. It costs 9.03 euros in our country.
The sausages in Bulgaria also come out very salty compared to most EU countries. Here they are bought for 5.98 euros per kilo, while
in Spain, sausages are twice as cheap – they cost only 3 euros
The comparison between countries also shows that a Frenchman on the minimum wage in 2023 could buy the basket of basic products 26.7 times, and this year it is already 33 times. In neighboring Romania, the purchasing power of the minimum wage, measured through this set of products, grows from 11.4 to 15.2. In Croatia, the basket could be bought 11.4 times a year, and now – 15.5 times. In Bulgaria, the growth rate is the lowest – from 7.2 to 8.2 times, analyzes Luboslav Kostov.
A Bulgarian must work for four and a half months to earn the monthly minimum wage in Luxembourg, the expert calculated. Our minimum wage is 18% of Luxembourg’s, which is at the top.
The share of those employed on the minimum wage is the smallest in Sofia – about 11%, and the highest in Kyustendil – 36.5%.
In addition to the basic food products, the cost of housing also increases.
Repairs for the year have increased in price by 5.1%.
Drinking water rose by 22.2%,
sewage – by 24%. The money we give for medicines for 3 months is 1.6% more, and for a year the price increase is 6.2%. The prices of vitamins, aspirin, cough syrups, etc. are gradually increasing. Medical services grew by 4.5% on an annual basis, and outpatient services by 3.5%. In the column “Education, free time and entertainment” the increase for 3 months is 1.6%, and for a year – 6.9%. But especially services related to education have doubled in price – by 11.9% in a year. The prices for transport have also gone up – by 3.3% (with an increase in fuel prices of only 0.6%), and for maintenance and repair of personal cars – by 8%.