MOSCOW. April 29 (Interfax) - The gap between the rich and the poor in Russia is widening.
According to figures released on Tuesday by Goskomstat, Russia's state-run statistics committee, 10% of high-income Russians shared 29.6% of the total cash revenues during the first quarter of 2003, against 29.3% in the first quarter of 2002.
A total of 10% of low-income families shared only 2% of the population's cash revenues in January-March 2003 (2.1% in the first quarter of 2002).
The population's combined cash income comprised 1.86 trillion rubles in the first quarter of 2003 (1.40 trillion in the first quarter of 2002). Cash incomes totaled 1.88 trillion (1.44 trillion).
As many as 20% of high-income Russian families accounted for 46.2% of all cash income in the first quarter of 2003 against 45.9% in the first quarter of 2002. At the same time, 20% of the low-income populace shared 5.5% of all cash income in January-March 2003 (5.6% in January- March 2002).
Some 0.6% of Russia's entire population had incomes less than 500 rubles a month in the first quarter of 2003 (1.5% in January-March 2002). Another 1.8% of Russians have incomes from 500 to 750 rubles; 9% (14.1%) - from 1,000 to 1,500 rubles; 10.6% (13.9%) - from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles; 19.9% (21.7%) - from 2,000 to 3,000 rubles; 15.3% (13.9%) - from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles; and 39.7% (25.2%) made over 4,000 rubles a month.
Pay in Russia averaged 4,841 rubles in the first quarter of 2003 and 5,124 rubles in March.
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