AMERICA - Poverty declines in Latin America, but 66 million people live in extreme poverty

Thursday, 29 November 2012

AMERICA

2023-05-25
Week of prayer: "anointed by the same Spirit, let us seek to be a reflection of Trinitarian love, love in unity, love in diversity"

2023-04-05
The Church at the service of Peace: "to work intensively on the structural causes of the conflict on the Continent"

2023-02-09
Appeal to young people: “Our time has come! Our commitment is the transformation of society and the construction of the civilization of love”

2022-12-28
Let us never take our eyes off the children who live in poverty and are exploited

2022-12-17
Ministry of the "missionary" Catechist: criteria and formation itineraries of Episcopal Conferences

2022-12-07
From the first Latin American Church Assembly to the Synod, for a greater capacity for evangelization

Santiago (Agenzia Fides) - The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has predicted that this year which is about to come to an end, the region accounts for 167 million people living in poverty, one million less than 2011, 28.8% of the population. The number of people in extreme poverty have remained stable in 2012, with a total of 66 million people, the same number as in 2011.
Poverty in Latin America therefore continues its downward trend, albeit at a slightly lower rate than in recent years, thanks to positive forecasts for economic growth for 2012 and moderate inflation in the region: is what we learn from the report " Social Panorama of Latin America 2012, " presented on November 27 at the ECLAC headquarters in Santiago, Chile, and of which a copy was sent to Fides Agency.
According to this study, 168 million Latin Americans were below the poverty line in 2011, ie 29.4% of the population of the region, with a decrease of 1.6 percentage points compared to 2010.
As in previous years, the increase in the labor income of poor households was the most important factor in reducing poverty. "The current rates of poverty and indigence are the lowest in the last three decades, which is good news for the region, but we are still struggling with unacceptable levels in many countries," said the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Barcena, during the presentation of the report.
In the 2012 edition, the report also addresses some aspects of other issues, such as gender inequality and profound discrimination which affect women, the situation of people with disabilities, their needs and their care, the challenges for public policy.
The report concludes by presenting the role of the State as "essential to form national health care systems, which are equipped of institutional power capable of integrating policies and public services, coordinate organizations and public and private resources, and to ensure the completeness, integrity and quality of service." (CE) (Agenzia Fides 29/11/2012)