The percentage of people living below the poverty line in Uruguay (by the income method) dropped to 9.9 percent in 2022 from 10.6 in 2021, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported today, Monday.
That means that out of every 1,000 Uruguayans, 99 “do not exceed the minimum income to cover the basic food and non-food needs considered by this methodology.”
On the other hand, extreme poverty in the country remained at 0.3 percent, which means that 3 out of every 1,000 people “do not reach the minimum income required to cover basic food needs”.
After a full poverty record of 39.9 percent in 2004, the indicator followed a downward trend to a low of 7.9 percent in 2017, when it rose again to 11.6 in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Montevideo, where almost half of the population lives, had the highest percentage of poor households last year (8.8 percent), above inland localities (6.0) and the rural interior (6.6).
At the geographic level, the “highest values” of poverty are registered in the departments of Cerro Largo (east), Rivera (northeast), Montevideo (south), and Treinta y Tres (east). In contrast, “the lowest levels” correspond to Flores (southwest), San José (southwest), and Colonia (southwest).
“Poverty continues to affect female-headed households to a greater extent, both in Montevideo and the interior of the country,” INE stated in its report.
“The population in the under 6, 6 to 12 and 13 to 17 age brackets is where the highest incidence of poverty is registered, regardless of the region of the country considered,” it added.
The Afro-descendant population continues to have the highest poverty levels, with an incidence of 17.6 percent among those who declare Afro-descendants.
Uruguay’s economy grew 4.9 percent in 2022 and linked two years of expansion (4.4 in 2021) after the 5.9 percent decline in 2020 caused by the pandemic.