Representatives from Venezuela's National Institute of Statistics (INE) have revealed that the 14th National Census of Population and Housing, conducted during 2011, showed significant cuts to poverty levels during the previous 10 years.
In 2001, 11.36% of the population were measured to be suffering from extreme poverty. President of the INE, Elias Eljuri, said the 2011 census showed that only 6.97% did, a cut of nearly half in a decade. Other conclusions included a rise in life expectancy, from 74.5 years to 79.5 years.
Such figures reinforce the success of the social policies of the revolutionary government of Hugo Chavez, particularly in the health sector and in access to basic necessities.
Eljuri explained the Unsatisfied Basic Needs system, which is used to evaluate those households in poverty, extreme poverty, and outside of poverty. Using this system, he said households outside of poverty have risen from 67% in 2001 to 75.43% in 2011, and that 鈥渢he total of those in poverty have reduced from 21.64% to 17.6%鈥.
鈥淚n all indications examined鈥, he concluded, 鈥渢here was an important reduction of poverty鈥.
He also highlighted that critical overcrowding has reduced from 15.12% to 10.10%, while inadequate house construction has reduced from 9.38% to 8.69%. Similarly, households without basic water and sewerage services have reduced from 14.79% to 8.88%.
These figures, he explained, do not take into account changes last year, such as the housing Mission Vivienda that was launched in late 2011. The 346,000 houses and apartments built by the mission were not taken into account in the census. Eljuri said he expected the impact of this mission, among other factors, would mean that poverty levels now are even lower.
He also pointed out Venezuela continues to have the lowest rate of inequality in the continent.
[Abridged from Correo Del Orinoco International, via .]