Multidimensional poverty affects about 34,900 households in North Macedonia
Study finds wide regional and municipal disparities; government says it will consider measures for socially vulnerable groups.
About 6 percent of households in North Macedonia — roughly 34,900 households — live in multidimensional poverty, according to a recent scientific study that measured deprivation across all 80 municipalities and the country’s eight planning regions.
When asked whether the state plans to help, especially the socially vulnerable, the news outlet 24 asked the Minister of Social Policy, Gjoko Velkovski, and he said the government will consider a package of measures aimed at those groups.
Regional and municipal gaps are large
The study finds the highest rates of multidimensional poverty in the Southeastern region (10.3%), followed by Vardar (9.0%) and the Northeastern region (8.9%). The Skopje region has the lowest rate at 2.3%.
Differences become even starker at municipal level. In Chashka, 71% of households are multidimensionally poor; other municipalities with extremely high shares include Staro Nagorichane at 66%, Konche at 58%, Mogila at 56% and Novaci at 49%.
Researchers point out that poverty is most pronounced in small and remote municipalities, where limited access to schools and health services often coincides with low educational attainment. They argue that social and development policies must be targeted to the specific municipalities and the particular types of deprivation identified in the study.
Photo: press material from the event
