Citizens with a low level of education
Households whose primary wage earner has not finished primary school are under higher poverty risk. The poverty index of these households is 21%, whereas the poverty index of households whose primary wage earner has finished primary school is significantly higher and amounts to 13.7%

Labor inactive and unemployed population
The highest percentage of the poor was perceived in case of households whose primary wage earner is inactive (students, housewives, etc.), yet is not a pensioner. The poverty risk thereof was two times higher than the average (219.8%), and their participation in the overall structure of the poor amounted to 12%. Households whose primary wage earner was unemployed were under a relatively high poverty risk (66.4% above average), whereas their participation in the overall structure of the poor amounted to 11.8%. Households whose primary wage earner was a pensioner were under a low poverty risk (almost at the level average: -0.7%), however pensioners accounted for a significant share of the poor due to their high participation in the structure of the overall population.

The elderly
The category with an above average poverty risk are elderly persons (65 years of age and over). Namely, 10.0% of the elderly (65+) lived below the poverty line which amounted to CSD 6,221 per consumer unit, so that their relative poverty risk was by 13.4% larger than the national average.

Children
According to age, the percentage of the poor is largest among children up to the age of 18 (some 12%). Their poverty risk was by almost a third higher than the national average. They accounted for 23.7% of the total population and for almost a third of the total number of the poor.

Households with six or more household members
The most vulnerable are households with six or more household members (poverty risk of 96%). Households with one, two and five members are under the poverty risk which is slightly below the average, and the fewest are poor households with three and four members who were below the average poverty risk.

Households whose primary wage earner is a woman
Households whose primary wage earner is a woman were somewhat more vulnerable than other households, since their relative poverty risk was slightly above the average (9.3%). Their share in poor population was 22.4%.

Regional distribution of poverty:

• 10.7% of Central Serbia is poor
• 8.7% of population of Vojvodina is poor and
• 4.3% of population of Belgrade is poor

The region with the highest share of the population is Central Serbia. The poverty risk of the region is higher by 21.6% than the average poverty risk of the Serbian population. There is a slight difference perceived in the poverty of urban and other regions. Similar situation is in Vojvodina whose poverty index is somewhat below the national average. Other regions of Central Serbia and Vojvodina are exposed to a high poverty risk in comparison to the average of the entire population (60.9% - Central Serbia and 53.9% - Vojvodina), whereas the population of urban areas within the two regions is in a significantly better situation since their poverty risk is below the national average. The population of other regions of Central Serbia, which was the most vulnerable, accounted for 28.1% of overall population and almost a half of the overall number of the poor (45.1%). The population living in urban regions of Belgrade, Vojvodina and Central Serbia was in a most favorable position, since their poverty risk was significantly lower than the average of the entire population.

Data for 2003