Children are the age group most at risk of poverty in Albania, with a probability almost twice as high as the elderly.
According to INSTAT data, last year, 26.2% of children aged 0-17 were at risk of being poor, compared to 14% of people over 65. This means that more than one in four children lives in a family with an income below the relative poverty line.
Data from the Income and Living Standards Survey show that the risk of poverty decreases with age. For the 18-64 age group, the indicator was 18.5%, while for people over 65 it dropped to 14%.
The big difference between children and the elderly is mainly related to the way income is secured and distributed within families. Children do not have their own income and their standard of living depends entirely on the income of their parents or other family members.
In families with children, especially those with several children, income from work must cover the needs of a larger number of people. When only one parent works, wages are low, or employment is unstable, the risk of per capita income falling below the poverty line increases.
Another factor is the burden of child-rearing expenses, from food and clothing to education, transportation, and healthcare. These expenses put pressure on family budgets, even though the INSTAT indicator measures poverty based on income and not directly on expenditures.
Unlike children, a large proportion of the elderly have a relatively stable source of income from pensions, despite their often low level. Pensions provide a regular income, while families consisting of only one or two pensioners have fewer economic dependents.
However, this does not necessarily mean that older people have a better standard of living than children. The indicator measures relative poverty, i.e. household income in relation to the overall level of income in the country, and not the actual ability to meet all living needs.
The data also shows that girls have a slightly higher risk of poverty than boys. The gender gap becomes more apparent at older ages, with 15.1% of women over 65 years old at risk of poverty, compared to 12.9% of men.
The concentration of poverty among children has consequences that extend beyond the current economic situation of families. Insufficient income can limit opportunities for quality nutrition, education, and development, increasing the risk that economic inequalities are passed on from one generation to the next.
The data suggest that reducing child poverty requires not only increasing income from work, but also supportive policies geared towards families with children, especially those with low incomes and many economically dependent people./Monitor.al/
