Russia’s s poverty rate increased by 0.2 percentage points in 2011 to 12.8 percent of the country’s population compared with the previous year, Alexander Surinov, head of the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), said on Tuesday, February 21, according to RIA Novosti.

“According to preliminary data, the number of people with incomes below the subsistence level was 12.8 percent of the total population in 2011,” he said.

In 2010, 12.6 percent or 17.9 million people lived below the poverty line in Russia.

Russia’s highest poverty rate was registered in 1992 and stood at over 33.5 percent, he said.

Russia’s subsistence level totaled 6,792 rubles ($226) for Russians of active working age, 4,961 rubles ($165) for retirees and 6,760 rubles for children ($225) in the third quarter of 2011.