Poverty in Costa Rica falls to levels not seen since 2009

Costa Rica went from having 21.8% of poor households to having 18% in the last year, according to data revealed on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), thus reaching the lowest levels of poverty in the last 15 years.

The 3.8 percentage point reduction in poverty translates into 63,428 families that have escaped poverty, which still leaves 327,081 households still under that condition.

The figure is not only the lowest poverty rate that the country has recorded since 2009, when it reached 18.5%, but it once again breaks the barrier that Costa Rica has had around 20% poverty since the mid-1990s. 1990.

According to INEC, extreme poverty also fell from 6.3% to 4.8% and now there are 86,748 households that have less than 100 dollars a month available to satisfy their basic needs.

The survey also records that the drop in the poverty rate was important both in urban areas, where it went from 21.1% to 16.4%; as in rural areas, where it decreased from 26.4% to 21.1%.

The government of Costa Rica celebrated the data with a brief statement from the Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, Yorleny León, for whom this result is “irrefutable proof” that the current government of President Rodrigo Chaves has made the right decisions in its policy. combating poverty.

“The route that Don Rodrigo outlined for us of prioritizing those who need it most is the correct one for this country to overcome the scourge of poverty and inequality,” said the minister.

However, the economist from the National University and former vice minister of Finance, Fernando Rodríguez, considers that there is a lack of clarity about the figures presented. He said that although Costa Rica has had a good economic performance during the last two years, this does not explain the dramatic and sudden drop in the poverty rate.

This growth, Rodríguez assured the AP, corresponds, in large part, to “special regimes” such as free zones, where companies are not necessarily employers of the poorest groups.

To have more clarity about the survey data, it would be necessary to know what is considered in the category of “other activities,” he added. This item is recorded in the survey but it is not specified what type of economic activity it refers to.

Daniela Miranda, a 32-year-old business administrator, told The Associated Press that while these numbers are measured at a general level, they do not seem to be reflected in everyday life.

“It may be that the country’s economy has improved to a certain extent, but this is not reflected in the people’s economy. Because the costs of everything increase and the economic income of families is not reflected,” he stated.

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