Poverty is declining in Armenia, extreme poverty is close to being eradicated – Labor Minister
16.09.2026,
17:48
Armenian Labor and Welfare Minister Arsen Torosyan stated that poverty rates in Armenia continue to decline.
YEREVAN, September 16. /ARKA/. Armenian Labor and Welfare Minister Arsen Torosyan stated that poverty rates in Armenia continue to decline.
During government hour in parliament on Wednesday, he was asked to announce the country's poverty rates for 2025, to which he replied that last year's data would be published soon.
He also announced the figures for 2024: the poverty rate is 21.7%, and extreme poverty is 0.6%.
"I am confident that the 2025 figure will be lower than the 2024 figure, and the same applies to 2026. We declare – and this is true – that we are close to or have already eliminated extreme poverty, and we continue to reduce the poverty rate," he said. The minister added that in addition to direct indicators, there are also indirect ones, such as the unemployment rate, the number of jobs, and GDP per capita, all of which show that poverty in the country continues to decline.
About poverty indicators for 2024
According to Armstat, the poverty rate in Armenia, calculated based on the median line, was 21.7% by the end of 2024, a decrease of 2 percentage points compared to the previous year (23.7%).
The extreme poverty rate was 0.6%, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2023 (1.1%).
Extreme/food poverty was 0.6% (1.1% in 2023), the lower poverty line was 8.3% (9.7% in 2023), and the upper poverty line was 40.2% (42.6% in 2023). The extreme/food poverty line in 2024 is 29,196 drams per month, the lower poverty line is 42,680 drams, the middle line is 53,420 drams, and the upper line is 64,162 drams.
Child poverty data: extreme poverty – 0.9% (versus 1.8% in 2023), poor – 28% (31.7% in 2023), and not poor – 72% (68.3% in 2022).
The poverty rate in Armenia has been assessed since 1996. Since 2019, this indicator has been calculated using the revised World Bank methodology: the documented poverty line in monetary terms represents the cost of (food and non-food) goods and services that reflects the minimum standard of living in a given country.
During government hour in parliament on Wednesday, he was asked to announce the country's poverty rates for 2025, to which he replied that last year's data would be published soon.
He also announced the figures for 2024: the poverty rate is 21.7%, and extreme poverty is 0.6%.
"I am confident that the 2025 figure will be lower than the 2024 figure, and the same applies to 2026. We declare – and this is true – that we are close to or have already eliminated extreme poverty, and we continue to reduce the poverty rate," he said. The minister added that in addition to direct indicators, there are also indirect ones, such as the unemployment rate, the number of jobs, and GDP per capita, all of which show that poverty in the country continues to decline.
About poverty indicators for 2024
According to Armstat, the poverty rate in Armenia, calculated based on the median line, was 21.7% by the end of 2024, a decrease of 2 percentage points compared to the previous year (23.7%).
The extreme poverty rate was 0.6%, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points compared to 2023 (1.1%).
Extreme/food poverty was 0.6% (1.1% in 2023), the lower poverty line was 8.3% (9.7% in 2023), and the upper poverty line was 40.2% (42.6% in 2023). The extreme/food poverty line in 2024 is 29,196 drams per month, the lower poverty line is 42,680 drams, the middle line is 53,420 drams, and the upper line is 64,162 drams.
Child poverty data: extreme poverty – 0.9% (versus 1.8% in 2023), poor – 28% (31.7% in 2023), and not poor – 72% (68.3% in 2022).
The poverty rate in Armenia has been assessed since 1996. Since 2019, this indicator has been calculated using the revised World Bank methodology: the documented poverty line in monetary terms represents the cost of (food and non-food) goods and services that reflects the minimum standard of living in a given country.
