Uzbekistan has updated its poverty line, increasing the minimum consumption budget by 21,000 sums.

According to an adjustment made by the Statistics Agency under the President, the cost of minimum consumer expenditures is increasing by 3.2% — from 648,000 soms per month to 669,000 soms.

The last time the cost of minimum consumer expenditures rose was in May of last year. At that time, it was increased from 621,000 to 648,000 soms per month.

The agency noted that in global practice, the minimum consumption indicator is used as a poverty line in order to:

• identify the targeted group of the population in need of material and other social assistance from the state; • when determining the poverty line in the country, the characteristics of actual consumption and the needs of the target group should be taken into account;
• enhance the effectiveness and targeting of tasks and activities specified in strategies and programs aimed at combating poverty, as well as conduct ongoing monitoring of them;
• use this indicator as a criterion for determining the minimum amount of pensions and benefits, as well as for providing other types of material assistance to low-income families.