Mahilou residents: How should we survive?

Despite the economic crisis in Belarus, official statistical data show that standards of living of Belarusians improve.

Income of families and single people has increased by an average of 17% for the first six months of the year. But the news appears to be less positive when it is compared to other data of official statistics, Belsat reports.

Firstly, this year's growth is much slower compared to the same period of last year. Income of households increased by almost 26% for the first six months of 2014. Taking into account the fact that the Belarusian ruble was devalued by almost one-third in the first half of 2015, the situation looks critical.

Mahilou residents:

“You must be joking about incomes. Income is definitely getting lower. I hear the same question in every family: how should we survive?”

“Income of my family has fallen significantly.”

“Income is declining in comparison with prices, which are growing.”

According to the National Statistical Committee, income of more than one-third of families is less than 3 million rubles per capita. Almost 23% of family budget is spent on services, 32% – on non-food products and almost 50% is spent on food.

Despite Lukashenka's statements that Belarus is a social state, the number of families below the poverty line (those living on less than 1.5 million rubles a month) remains high – more than 135,000. Some specialists think the economic situation in Belarus is unlikely to improve in the near future. As practice shows, “elections” are usually followed by a crisis.