What is the state of multidimensional poverty among the Roma population in Bulgaria? Are they more likely to be chronically poor and materially and socially deprived?

**<mark>The Roma population is inherently different from its national counterpart.</mark>** <mark>Roma individuals are more likely to be young, to belong to families with less educated, unemployed or retired household heads, and to live in towns/suburbs or rural areas (Table A3.6). Further, the Roma population faces significantly higher chances of renting their homes, living in overcrowded houses, and having unmet medical needs. Roma individuals also are more prone to live in more numerous families, with many children, with a disability recipient, and with members receiving social aid. Overall, these statistics reflect that the Roma community is an extremely vulnerable group across several demographic, social, and economic dimensions.</mark>

**The incidence of both monetary and non-monetary deprivations among the Roma population**

**is extremely high compared to the Bulgarian population.** In 2021, 58.8 percent of the Roma population<sup>53</sup> was at risk of poverty– a proportion that was markedly above the national rate of 22.1 percent. The proportion of the Roma population that was materially and socially deprived was more than three times the national average, whereas the percentage of individuals living in a household with low work intensity was more than four times the national average (Table 10). As a result, the AROPE rate, representing the percentage of individuals deprived in at least one of the AROPE dimensions, was markedly higher among the Roma population (78.7 percent) compared to the general Bulgarian population (31.7 percent).<sup>54</sup> The Roma population is significantly overrepresented among the multidimensionally poor since 25.9 percent of the AROPE individuals are Roma –whereas only 3.3 percent of the non-AROPE are Roma. A closer examination of the different components of the material and social deprivation dimension<sup>55</sup> indicates that between 65 and 75 percent of the Roma community cannot afford annual holidays, or unexpected expenses paid with own resources, or replacement of worn-out furniture, or replacement of worn-out clothes or cannot afford having two pairs of properly fitting shoes. These are the most prevalent categories of material and social deprivations among the Roma but also among the overall Bulgarian population – but at the national level, the prevalence is lower (between 34 and 41 percent). In turn, the items relative to internet access, arrears in housing costs and social inclusion are among the least prevalent items of deprivations, both among the Roma and the national population.

# **Further analysis reveals a greater intensity of deprivations experienced by the Roma**

**community.** When looking at the degree of overlapping deprivations, 3.8 percent of the Roma population experience both low work intensity and material and social deprivation, whereas only 1.0 percent of Bulgarians fall into this category (Table 10). 4.4 percent of the Roma population experience both low work intensity and are at risk of poverty, compared to 1.3

> 53 The Roma population interviewed in the survey represents 10.4% of the overall population. This figure from the EU-SILC is in line with the estimate of the Roma population in Bulgaria (10.2%) obtained using the data from the Council of Europe (2012).

> 54 Own estimates based on 2021 Bulgaria SILC. National estimates are also consistent with Eurostat and those published by the Bulgarian National Statistics Institute, and Roma estimates are also consistent with those published by the Bulgarian National Statistics Institute.

> 55 Source: National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria.

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