COLOMBIA-POVERTY/ – REUTERS Agency
BOGOTA, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Poverty levels in Colombia decreased slightly in 2022, according to a report from the government statistics agency DANE, although the proportion of people living in poverty grew slightly.
The proportion of Colombians living in poverty fell to 36.6% last year, equivalent to 18.3 million people in the country of 50 million inhabitants, compared to 39.7% in 2021, said the agency in a report on Friday.
However, while poverty decreased overall, the proportion of the population living in extreme poverty or indigence increased slightly to 13.8% in 2022, from 13.7% the previous year, DANE detailed, adding that 6.9 million people were living in poverty in the country in 2022.
President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, took power in August last year after winning elections with promises to fight poverty and inequality, and guarantee access to health care, among other proposals.
According to the report, DANE defines poverty as those who survive on about $3.30 a day, while those who are destitute live on about $1.65 a day or less. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Editing in Spanish by Noé Torres)
Source: Ambito
