Poverty in Russia in International Comparisons: Dynamics of Key Indicators in 2018–2023, Challenges and Tasks

Poverty has remained a constant topic of scientific discourse since the new Russia emerged. Being deeply politicized and rather abstract when superficially studied, the issue of poverty is often considered exclusively in the context of the internal logic of the country's development. At the same time, while remaining a structural element of the Russian economy, the level of poverty in our country has a certain impact on the logic of global economic development. Based on this, the purpose of this work is to analyze the level of poverty in Russia and its dynamics against the background of Russia's changing position on its indicator in international comparisons. To solve this problem, the author considers a sample of 60 countries where poverty is regarded as an income of less than $6.85 per day and 52 countries where relative poverty statistics are provided – income below 50% of the median. This work covers the period from 2018 to 2023 (from the start of the Unified Plan for Achieving National Development Goals until 2024 and for the future until 2030 (hereinafter referred to as the Unified Plan) until the last year, for which official data from Rosstat are provided). The author considers poverty as a multifaceted socio-economic phenomenon, gives his own definition of poverty, taking into account the official definition of this concept in Russia, as well as changing approaches to its assessment. The article describes the dynamics and features of key poverty indicators established in a Unified Plan, such as poverty levels, incomes, wages, social benefits (including pension payments) and employment. Some data are presented for the Russian Federation as a whole, as well as for the subjects of the Russian Federation and individual industries. The longterm challenges and tasks related to specific indicators of socio-economic development, as well as the limitations of certain program documents, are highlighted.