Varfëri

Varfëri is the Albanian term for poverty, referring to a persistent lack of material resources and deprivation of basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare. In policy and sociology, varfëri is analyzed as both an absolute condition (not having enough to meet basic needs) and a relative condition (being poor compared with others in society).

Poverty is measured using income-based thresholds, consumption levels, and multi-dimensional indicators that include education, health, and living standards. In Albanian discourse as elsewhere, the term covers more than income: it encompasses deprivation of opportunities and social participation.

Causes include low earnings, unemployment, informal work, regional inequality, and structural change, as well as factors like conflict, migration, and insufficient access to quality public services. Vulnerable groups often include children, the elderly, and marginalized communities.

Impacts are wide-ranging, affecting health, educational attainment, nutrition, and social integration, and can perpetuate cycles of deprivation across generations.

Policy responses typically involve social protection programs, cash transfers, pensions, subsidized essential services, minimum wage policy, employment programs, and investments in education, healthcare, and housing. Efforts to measure and reduce varfëri are part of broader development and economic policies in Albanian-speaking regions and in the Balkans.

Etymology: varfëri derives from varfër, meaning poor. The term is widely used in academic and policy discussions as well as in everyday language to describe living conditions affected by economic hardship.