Poverty in Latvia: election platforms largely silent on the issue

In Latvia, the poverty threshold stands at just under 700 euros a month for a single person and just over 1400 euros for a family with two children. One in five residents of the country cannot cross that threshold. By poverty levels and the social gap between people, Latvia continues to hold one of the worst positions in Europe.

Addressing this is a direct responsibility of the lawmakers voters will elect to the new Saeima on October 4. Yet, according to colleagues from LSM's "De Facto" program, who reviewed the pre-election platforms of political parties, the issue of poverty is barely mentioned — almost none of the parties have devoted meaningful attention to it in their programs.

These findings were presented on the LSM program "Let's Discuss This Evening" ("Обсудим вечером"), which examined why, despite the country's persistently high poverty and income inequality levels, political parties largely avoid the topic in their campaign promises.

What the poverty threshold means

The at-risk-of-poverty threshold is the income level below which a person or household is considered to be living in poverty. In Latvia, this figure is just under 700 euros for a single person and just over 1400 euros a month for a family with two children. The fact that one in five residents cannot exceed this threshold shows that poverty in Latvia affects a broad share of the population, not just isolated groups.