Poverty of the working rural population in Russia: a social portrait

The paper presents the results of a study of the poverty of the working rural population. Poverty estimates were obtained based on the methodology of the Federal State Statistics Service and using household microdata for 2020. A comparative analysis of poverty prevalence in urban and rural areas, depending on the demographic status of the household, occupation, and type of activity of its head, is carried out. An increase in the vulnerability to poverty of households with children, especially those with many children, is shown, which does not depend on the employment status of household members. The high proportion of agricultural and unskilled employment, which increases rural poverty, has been confirmed. The features of the income structure of poor households in urban and rural areas are analyzed. It is shown that the rate of the personal subsidiary farm as a significant source of family income currently does not justify itself and is not widespread, and employment in personal subsidiary farming is not considered an alternative to official work. Measures to reduce rural poverty, including support for circular labor migration, and a focus on the development of small business in the service sector and local production, have been proposed.