The National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) reported that the monetary poverty was reduced during 2021. The indicator went from 42.5% of the population in 2020 to 39.3%, a reduction of 3.2 percentage points (pps).
(Read: Colombian military recognized ‘false positives’ before the JEP).
Regarding extreme poverty, the recovery during 2021 was 2.9 percentage points, since the incidence of extreme poverty went from 15.1% (2020) to 12.2% of the population.
As a result, in the last few hours, President Iván Duque announced that Colombia was one of the few emerging countries that achieved a significant reduction in poverty after the pandemic.
In total, 1.4 million people were lifted out of monetary poverty and 1.3 million people out of extreme monetary poverty. The president stressed that this was due to the money orders that have been carried out to alleviate the situation of the most disadvantaged.
Among them, the subsidy of Solidarity Income which currently benefits 4 million households, according to the president. “The most relevant thing is that the Gini coefficient, the indicator to measure inequality, registered a better situation in 2021 than the pre-pandemic moments. Which validates that the social tools that have been arranged are giving results“, he assured.
He announced that Solidarity Income will have a reinforcement in order to strengthen the economic situation of the vulnerable. For this reason, the bimonthly payment for May and June 2022 is will increase to 400,000 pesos. “It is an additional economic support to face economic situations of global scope,” said Duque.
(Besides: Quibdó, Riohacha and Santa Marta, with half of its poor population).
Likewise, from July the differentiated payments of Solidarity Income will be made. “If a household is made up of 1 person and is from group A of the Siben, they will receive 400,000 pesos bimonthly. If the household has 2 or more people and is part of Sisben group A, they will obtain 435,000. For those who are from group B, the subsidy will be 420,000“, said.
The president said that this will accelerate the recovery of pre-pandemic poverty levels and that these improve.
BRIEFCASE
