ArmInfo. Armenian pensioners cannot afford the minimum consumer basket, the monthly cost of which has reached 85,100 drams, compared to the minimum monthly pension of 46,000 drams. In fact, buying essentials (mainly food and medical services) with almost half the amount is an impossible task for pensioners. Meanwhile, the food basket alone costs 46,000 drams per month, meaning that pensioners will now have to go on a strict diet to save money on medical services and medications.
According to "interesting statistics," According to the minimum consumer basket in general and the food basket in particular, for the third quarter of 2026 at average current prices, the food basket costs 552,000 drams per year, while the minimum consumer basket exceeds 1 million drams.
The annual per capita food consumption rate of 552,000 drams is primarily comprised of meat products (primarily beef) - over 166,300 drams, bread - 61,400 drams, fruit (primarily apples) - 58,100 drams, butter - 44,400 drams, milk - 33,900 drams, fish - 32,300 drams, vegetables (primarily cabbage and onions) - 27,200 drams, and cheese.
- 24.4 thousand drams, potatoes - 22.4 thousand drams, cereals (mainly rice) - 16.9 thousand drams, eggs - 16.6 thousand drams, cottage cheese - 11.8 thousand drams, legumes (mainly beans) - 11.5 thousand drams. And much less is spent on sugar - 6.5 thousand drams, vegetable oil - 6.4 thousand drams, margarine - 4.4 thousand drams, pasta - 4.3 thousand. drams, flour - 3.2 thousand drams.
The annual consumption rate, calculated per capita in kg, is off the charts for foods such as eggs, vegetables, bread, potatoes, milk, and fruit, while beef, rice, sugar, and fish are consumed much less. This results in a calculated daily calorie intake of 2412.1 kcal. The most calories a person gains per day come from bread (622.5 kcal), much less (203-122 kcal) from beef, sugar, vegetable oil, rice, potatoes, butter, and milk, very little (96-87 kcal) from fruits and vegetables, and even less (44.4 kcal) from fish.
For comparison, during the same period in 2025, the cost of the minimum consumer basket was lower - 939.5 thousand per year, and the food basket was cheaper - 507.8 thousand drams per year. The monthly cost of the minimum consumer basket then was 78.3 thousand drams, of which the food basket - 42.3 thousand drams. As we can see, a year ago, the monthly food basket was still affordable for pensioners with the same pension of 46,000 drams per month, with even a little left over for other expenses. Now, these amounts have become equal, leaving them no choice even for a decent diet, let alone expenses like medical services and medications. In fact, only working pensioners can afford such expenses, while those who are not working must rely on support from their families.
