75% of the Russians say they fail to cover their current expenses with the monthly income they get
Nearly half of the Russians (47%) said that their financial situation was worse in 2025 compared to the previous year, and 75% said they often have no money for everyday needs, reports the Russian independent Moscow Times, citing a Anderida Financial Group, a company specialized Russian federation.
To compensate for deficiencies, the Russians adopt various/photo strategies: X
For 40% of Russian residents, the level of income remained unchanged, while only 13% reported an increase in income.
An alarming indicator is that 75% of the Russians say they fail to cover their current expenses with the monthly income they obtain. For a minimum comfortable living, 56% say it would need at least 20,000 extra rubles (200 euros) per month. Almost a quarter would be satisfied with up to 20,000 extra rubles, and 21% say they would have 15,000 rubles (150 euros) to cover all the basic needs.
Austerity silent in households, declarative optimism in ministries
In order to compensate for shortcomings, Russians adopt various strategies: 29% are looking for alternative sources of income, from additional work to freelancing, while 15% hopes for an increase in the current salary. A quarter resort to loans to cope with monthly expenses, and 18% say they have entered a strict saving regime. Only 10% put their hopes in a passive income-from rents or bank interest.
The contrast is even stronger with official forecasts. The Russian Ministry of Economy announces a sustained growth scenario: +19.8% in real terms by 2028 and a total nominal growth of almost 44% in the next four years.
However, right inside the governmental apparatus, the voices become more nuanced. In March, the deputy minister of industry, Vasili Osmakov, publicly acknowledged that the “wage boom” generated by the acute lack of labor was blur, especially in the defense industry sector, where the salary increases have already stopped.
Growth on paper, stagnation in everyday life
The Rossat data confirms an increasing gap between the figures in the reports and the perception of the population. In 2024, the average salary increased by 18.3%, but adjusted to inflation, the real advance stopped at 9.1%. For many Russians, these figures are not reflected in the daily shopping basket or the payment of invoices.
In a tense geopolitical context, in which the state expenses are massively redirected to the military sector and social control, the survey data seem to indicate an increasingly clear break between the economic reality of the population and the rhetoric of the regime. And if the tendency continues, the gap could become not only economic but also politically.
