Poverty in Lithuania has increased across the country, particularly in remote regions, LRT reports. Nearly 700,000 people are living below the poverty risk threshold. The average poverty level in rural areas is almost twice as high as in cities. In some municipalities, every third resident is living in poverty. Ugne Uzgale, head of strategy and data analytics at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, noted that border regions faced a greater poverty risk and higher unemployment. The local populations in those regions are ageing, and many pensioners subsist on low incomes. Social Security and Labour Minister Jurate Zailskiene hoped that the situation would improve in 2027 with planned pension hikes and changes to benefit indexation.
Headlines