One of the results of the 2019 National Household Survey (Enaho) is that 21.0% of households in Costa Rica live below the poverty line. This figure remains stable compared to 2018, when it was 21.1%.
However, the same study carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) reports that 5.8% of households are below the extreme poverty line. This, compared to 2018, represents a significant reduction according to INEC, since last year the percentage was 6.3%.
This decrease of half a percentage point is statistically significant,”
said Eddy Madrigal, coordinator of Enaho 2019.
In total, 335,895 households are in poverty and 93,542 in extreme poverty.
The largest reduction of households in extreme poverty was recorded in the rural area, where the percentage went from 8.3% to 5.8%.
This measure of the INEC quantifies the number of households with insufficient income. For example, a person is poor in urban areas if they receive ¢112,317 per month or less, while a person in rural areas is poor when they receive ¢86,353 or less.
While a person is considered to be in extreme poverty if they live in urban areas and receive ¢50,618 or less per month or if they live in rural areas and receive ¢42,117 per month or less.
Since 2010, the year with the highest poverty figure was 2014, when the percentage reached 22.4%. The remaining years have remained at the percentages of 2% or 21%
INEC achieved these results after applying the questionnaire in 13,440 homes, a study that began since June this year.