|Deprived in 4 dimensions|5.9|18.6|
|---|---|---|
|Deprived in 5 dimensions|0.7|2.9|

Note: Percentage of individuals that are AROPE + and are deprived in multiple dimensions (using survey weights). Source: Own estimates based on 2021 Bulgaria SILC. We report the survey year and not the income year. AROPE definition based on EU2030 target.

**Moreover, the longitudinal analysis conducted shows that the Roma population faces high**

**rates of chronic income poverty and chronic material and social deprivation** . Further analysis of chronic poverty can lead to an identification of a sub-set of poor individuals facing particularly adverse circumstances and/or distinctive problems in escaping from poverty (Whelan et al., 2003).  In 2021, 60.3 percent of the Roma were at persistent risk of poverty, and 62.2 percent suffered persistent material and social deprivation (Table 13).<sup>56</sup> These proportions largely exceed the national figures of 17.0 percent and 16.8 percent, respectively. In addition, almost half (45.8 percent) of the Roma population experiences both persistent poverty and material and social deprivation, which is five times larger than the national proportion.

**These estimates indicate that Roma households may transition out of income poverty and material and social deprivation less frequently than Bulgarian households, indicating structural challenges individuals face in escaping this state.** A high persistent rate of severe material and social deprivation suggests difficulty in overcoming these circumstances, underscoring its policy relevance comparable to or greater than the absolute number of individuals in such households in a given year. These disparities may indicate systemic and longlasting challenges faced by the Roma population, which may require the need for tailored antipoverty policies different from those tackling poverty at one point in time, <mark>as efforts should prioritize preventing poverty from becoming entrenched over time.</mark> Differentiating between temporary and persistent poverty is crucial because economic policy should prioritize preventing long-lasting poverty (Biewen, 2014).

**Table 13.** Persistent AROP and material deprivation, Bulgaria, National average and Roma <u>population (2021)</u>

||**Bulgaria**|**Roma**|
|---|---|---|
|Persistent AROP|17.0|60.3|
|Persistent severe material and social deprivation (SMSD)|16.8|62.2|
|Persistent AROP + persistent SMSD|9.0|45.8|

Note: Percentage of individuals (using survey weights). The persistent at-risk-of-poverty indicator considers a person who was poor in the current year (2021) and in at least two of the three preceding years to be persistently poor. Source: Own estimates based on 2021 Bulgaria Panel SILC. We report the survey year and not the income year. AROPE definition based on EU2030 target.

**Remarkably, Roma individuals constitute a significant portion of those experiencing persistent at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) and severe material and social deprivation (SMSD) in Bulgaria.** Specifically, 28.7 percent of those experiencing persistent AROP, 30.0 percent of those

> 56 Our national estimate of persistent at risk of poverty slightly differs from the estimate published online by Eurostat. Further, note that the persistent AROP rate may be higher than the AROP rate at a given year because persistent AROP is computed using the panel data.

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