ECLAC: Multidimensional poverty reached 27.4% in Latin America

Published at: 20/02/2026 02:31 PM

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) reported that multidimensional poverty in Latin America amounts to 27.4% of the population, according to the Statistical Yearbook 2025 presented by the institution.

The document shows notable contrasts: Guatemala and El Salvador exceed 50%, while Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica record levels below 6%.

The report highlights gender disparities, with higher poverty rates among women between 20 and 59 years of age, both in urban and rural areas. It also specifies that the region registered economic growth of 2.4% in 2025, with variations between subregions and notable differences in the Caribbean, depending on the inclusion or exclusion of Guyana, Prensa Latina reported.

Foreign trade recovered moderately in 2024, with increases in exports and imports and a current account deficit of 2.8%. In environmental terms, the region recorded 82 hazardous events in 2024, affecting more than 12 million people and causing losses of more than 21 billion dollars.

The analysis also confirms the sustained reduction in forest cover and levels of air pollution that do not meet international guidelines.

Mazo News Team