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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on Monday that the poverty rate in Armenia remains high, at 23%.
“The poverty rate in Armenia continues to remain high, with the latest data showing 23 percent. There is a paradox here: we are showing economic growth and significant money circulation, yet we do not see a substantial reduction in poverty. I have thought a lot about this phenomenon. In my view, the reason is the dilapidated schools and the fact that a significant portion of the country’s children are deprived of the right to quality education. There is no other reason. How is it possible that tens of thousands of people can come to Armenia from abroad and find work? All institutions are asking, pleading, and searching for workers but cannot find them. On one hand, there is high demand for employees in well-paying sectors; on the other, this poverty persists,” Pashinyan said in a parliamentary committee hearing on the 2026 budget bill.
He emphasized that the reason is that for decades, children in Armenia did not have proper schools. Now, those children have grown up, become adults, and need to earn a living.
“But with what skills should they earn, with what knowledge, and where acquired?” the Prime Minister asked.
The Prime Minister also linked this to the collapse of the higher education system under previous governments, when universities became “instruments of corruption and political pressure.” According to him, today’s poverty is a direct result of that.
“Today, any Armenian citizen who possesses even slightly above-average skills and knowledge can more easily overcome poverty. Poverty is overcome through work—there is no other way. And for work to effectively lift someone out of poverty, that work must be skilled,” the Prime Minister emphasized.
The Pashinyan administration has launched major reforms in education, including the renovation and construction of schools across the country. PM Pashinyan has repeatedly emphasized that education is the key to solving all challenges.