U n NICEF: 35 thousand Albanians plunged into poverty due to war-related crisis, highest in the region along with Kosovo

About 35.4 thousand Albanians are expected to increase the number of poor people in the country as a result of the impact war will have on the country's economic performance in Ukraine.

The figure was released in U's latest report NICEF for the consequences of the war on child poverty.

The report finds that out of 35.4 thousand people who will fall into poverty in the country, about 9,000 of them are children. This poverty increase for about 6 thousand children will be translated into 743 lost years of schooling, estimates U n NICEF, which is the United Nations child program.

Albania and Kosovo have the highest appreciation for the population that will fall into poverty as a result of the consequences of the war. For Kosovo, the figure is even higher and totals 41.5 thousand people.

In Serbia, 28 thousand people are expected to be added to the list of poor people, in Bosnia, 17 thousand, in northern Macedonia, 5.5 thousand, In Montenegro with 913.

In proportion to the population of 2021, Kosovo leads the high number of people who will fall into poverty, with 3.7% of the total population, followed by Albania by 1.5%, while lower will be Montenegro (0.1%) and North Macedonia (0.4) and Serbia (0.6).

Report U n NICEF says that war in Ukraine, and increasing the cost of living as a result, has plunged millions of other children into poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in recent months.

The war in Ukraine and the rise in inflation have plunged four million other children into poverty -- 19% growth since 2021 -- says the study, stressing that children bear the main burden of the economic crisis caused by the conflict.

The report says that while children make up 25% of the population, they make up nearly 40% of the additional 10.6 million people in poverty this year.

Albania and Kosovo have the highest number of children to fall into poverty in the region, with 1.2% and 2.1% respectively.

“U n NICEF is setting the alarm for the consequences of this war and is calling on governments to provide extremely strong support for social protection and implement money assistance programmes for the most endangered families with”, said Adelaen Hazan, president U. NICEF France, for AFP.

The consequences of child poverty go far beyond the financial difficulties of families: the poorer a family, the higher the percentage of income spent on basic needs, such as food and fuel.

And when the cost of basic needs increases, money available for other needs such as health and education decreases. As a result, the poorest children are less likely to have access to basic services and are more vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse, the UN agency says.

Raising child poverty in Eastern Europe and Central Asia could result in 4,500 other children dying before their first birthday and 117,000 other children leaving school only in 2022, U warns NICEF.