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Poverty in Colombia

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Informal brick housing.

Poverty in Colombia refers to the serious problem of misdistribution of income, characterized by some of the worst poverty statistics in Latin America.[citation needed]

Social Strata in Colombia

Colombia has one of the strictest stratified social systems in the world.

Colombia's social strata has been divided as follows and has been extensively used by the government as a reference to develop social welfare programs, statistical information and to some degree for the assignment of lands.

  • Stratum 1 : Lowest income.
  • Stratum 2 : Low-Middle class.
  • Stratum 3 : Middle class.
  • Stratum 4 : Upper middle class.
  • Stratum 5 : Upper class.
  • Stratum 6 : Wealthy. Only the 5% of Colombians fit this category.

The system classifies areas on a scale from 1 to 6 with 1 as the lowest income area and 6 as the highest. In 1994, this stratification policy was made into law in order to grant subsidies to the poorest residents. The system is organized so that the people living in upper layers (strata 5 and 6) pay more for services like electricity, water and sewage than the groups in the lower strata.[1] Critics of the system say that impedes social mobility through stigmatization, while its proponents argue that it allows the poor to locate to areas where they will be able to access subsidized services.[1]

Poverty statistics

The World Bank estimates that in 2011 34% of the Colombian population was living below the poverty line, down from 45% in 2005.[2]

Unemployment

The unemployment in Colombia in the summer of 2013 was estimated at 9.2%, the lowest in over a decade.[3]

Inequality

According to the World Bank, Colombia's Gini coefficient (a measurement of inequality in wealth distribution) was 0.587 in 2000 and 0.559 in 2010, ranking among the most unequal Latin American countries in terms of wealth distribution.[4]

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and its Statistical Yearbook for 2009, Colombia had a national Gini coefficient of 0.584 and an urban Gini of 0.587 in 2005, which were among the highest in Latin America.[5]

Economic recession

File:Broca.png
The coffee borer beetle has impaired the Colombian coffee industry since the late 1980s

Since the late 1990s, many important economic sectors in Colombia have experienced economic recession, worsening the poverty situation in the country. The most affected sectors are the agricultural, manufacturing, transportation and building industries, which are the main sources of employment in the country.[citation needed] The global growth of these economic sectors, compared with the population growth in the same period gives an index of 0.7, indicating a larger growth in the number of people needing jobs than the number of employment positions on offer.[6][clarification needed]

Literacy

The current index of illiteracy in the country is 7.6%, with areas such as Chocó Department and Sucre Department having a 16% level.[citation needed] .[citation needed] Probable causes are the Colombian armed conflict and the insufficiency of funds destined for education in Colombia.[citation needed] The current literacy rate for the nation stands at 92%.

Malnutrition

See also: Aguapanela § socioeconomic issues

Over 500 000 children under 6 years old (about 13%) in Colombia suffer from acute malnutrition and up to 15% suffer from chronic malnutrition, the most affected areas being Boyacá and Nariño Department.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.ifhp.org/ifhp-blog/colombia-social-stratification-law
  2. ^ World Bank Country Data, Colombia
  3. ^ Colombia Reports|http://colombiareports.com/unemployment-in-colombia-falls-to-lowest-ever-rate
  4. ^ "Gini Index". World Bank. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  5. ^ United Nations (January 2010). "Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2009" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  6. ^ Colombia Actividad Económica, 1995 2001 Note: Variación anual del producto interno bruto trimestral (PIB). Source: Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística y Departamento Nacional de Planeación
  7. ^ Desnutrición en Colombia
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