The wage gap between the rich and the poor has reached its lowest level in a quarter of a century.

      According to the newspaper Izvestia, as of today the wage gap between representatives of the two categories of Russians amounts to 12.7 times — the lowest figure since the beginning of the 21st century.

      The reasons for the narrowing gap are explained by the growth in incomes of low-paid workers, caused in particular by the steady increase in the minimum wage (MROT). Thus, according to Rosstat’s estimates, workers in the bottom decile earn about 25,000 rubles per month, while the top decile receives more than 315,000 rubles.

      Notably, the wages of low-paid workers have been rising faster than the remuneration of highly skilled specialists. Expert Natalia Milchakova from Freedom Finance Global confirms that this dynamic is driven by active state support for families with children and pensioners, as well as by increased demand for labor in the transport, delivery and construction sectors.

      As for comparisons with other countries, Russia occupies an intermediate position: in most European countries wage differences are much smaller (for example, in Norway, Sweden and Denmark this indicator ranges from four to eight times), whereas in the US the gap reaches up to thirteen times, and in Latin America (Turkey, Chile) it exceeds twenty times.

      The middle class in Russia, despite the trend toward convergence between the upper and lower tiers, continues to shrink, experts acknowledge. The reasons lie in structural changes in the labor market and the economy, where the rate of wage growth among lower-earning workers outpaces the rise in incomes of the upper layer.

      Such a development creates the conditions for further social leveling, researchers say. However, much depends on the government’s long-term course in supporting vulnerable population groups and on continued efforts to improve citizens’ economic well-being.