Costa Rica Closes Out 2016 with the Lowest Poverty Rate in Seven Years

Español Costa Rica closes out 2016 with the lowest poverty in seven years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.

More than 10,000 households rose about the poverty line, and 10,000 left what is considered extreme poverty in Costa Rica.

Vice President of Costa Rica and Coordinator of the Presidential Social Council Ana Helena Chacón said the results are not a coincidence, and that there has been a lot of work and commitment to respecting human rights.

“We will continue to work harder, under the conviction that it is possible to move the needle toward equality and social inclusion,” Chacón said.

Costa Rican officials said the National Strategy for the Reduction of Poverty from the Bridge to Development, launched in March of 2015, included measures to expand and recondition the Centers for National Programs of Nutrition and Comprehensive Care (CEN-CINAI), as well as employment programs that prioritize the disadvantaged.

Adjustments were made to prevent the Development Program from benefiting families that did not really need it. On the other hand, scholarships and state transfers increased by an average of 14 percent per household.

Source: El País.