Russia’s Soaring Misery Index Masks Real Pain

Russians may be more miserable than the data suggest.

The CHART OF THE DAY shows the Misery Index -- inflation plus unemployment -- for Russia climbed 39 percent last year to 16.6, moving it closer to similar gauges in Greece and Turkey. While Russian consumer prices surged last year, pushing up the index, official data showed that the jobless rate fell even as slumping oil exports and international sanctions pushed the economy toward a recession.