compared with the 0.396 in the half of 2015.
Prior to this starting from the first half of 2013,
this indicates it has been decreasing for three years In the first quarter of 2016,
the Gini coefficient was 0.392.
This situation gives rice
to the phenomenon of existence of two Russia in one Russian society.
On the one hand, it is a well off majority
that includes economic and political elites and on other hand,
the poor majority which are separated by an invisible fence.
This division manifest itself not only through the different level of material security,
but also through the difference in values, motivation,
consumer preferences and demands.
Second problem, this is problem of unemployment.
Unemployment in Russia is still acute.
Although the overall unemployment rate is not so high.
In 2016, it has amounted to 5.5 percent,
in early 2017 to 5.6 percent,
but the difference in the regions is significant.
That's for example in the North Caucasus region it reached 30 percent.
For example the republic of Ingushetia,
while in St. Petersburg,
we have only 1.6 percent unemployed.
It should be taken into account that
the decline in unemployment rates that has been steady
since 2009 is not due to the employment of unemployed citizens,
but due to the reduction in the number of economically active population,
there is an increase in the number elderly people and young people
against the backdrop of a declining number of productive population.
Third problem, this is a problem of poverty.
Although since 2000 the number of people with
income below the subsistence level has decreased twofold,
their share remains large,
13.5 percent in 2016.
The official cost of living in Russia now was $160 per months.
This is approximately $5 dollars per day.
Poverty is characteristic of the population living in
small cities in rural areas and adding children under 16 years old.
It is important to note that more than 65 percent of the poor are economically active.
In recent years, the level of poverty has increased
which is associated with the crisis in economy of the country.
The government provides some assistance to the poor through subsidizing housing,
utilities, providing child benefits and maternity capital.
However, the poverty levels hinders economic and social development.
The stratification of society in terms of income
leads to deterioration in public health,
which influence their mortality rate especially in low income groups.
Higher rates of mortality and more morbidity of
the poor population are challenging for the Russian health care system.
And one of the most significant challenges in
Russia's social policy is the ever increasing level of population ageing.
The proportion of elderly: men from 60 years
and women from 55 years and older has increased from.
20 percent in 2006 to 24 percent in 2015.
The Economic Consequences of the aging of the population are obvious.
An increased burden on the working population and social benefits system.
And in the relation to debt,
they need to find ways to extend the employment age.
In this lecture, we have singled out
only the most importance challenges that Russian social policy faces.
As we have seen,
most of problem affecting the social policy in Russia are rooted in
a writable distribution of income among different strata of the population,
which is clearly visible when you look at the data.