Monetary poverty affected 27.6% of the country's population in 2024

In 2024, monetary poverty affected 27.6% of the country's population which is equivalent to 9 million 395 thousand persons. This figure represents a reduction of 1.4 percentage points compared to the year 2023, which meant that approximately 386 thousand persons were no longer poor. Presenting the results, the Chief of the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) outstood that the decrease was registered mainly in the urban zones, where the incidence decreased from 26.4% to 24.8%. In rural zones, the reduction was from 39.8% to 39.3%.

During the year 2024, the real monthly income per inhabitant grew by 2.3% compared to 2023, by going from S/ 1,170 to S/ 1,196, which is equivalent to an increase of S/ 26. The real income per inhabitant increased in all the geographic areas, being greater in the Rest Urban area (2.4%), Lima Metropolitan area and Constitutional Province of Callao (1.8%), followed by the rural area (1.1%).

The INEI informed that the average monthly expenditure per inhabitant increased by 1.2%, by going from S/ 881 in 2023 to S/ 891 in 2024, it means, it increased in S/ 10. Likewise, it registered an increase of the real expenditure per person in all the geographic levels, in the Rest Urban area of 1.7%, the rural area of 1.0% and in Lima Metropolitan area and the Constitutional Province of Callao in 0.1%.

In Peru, the monetary poverty is measured through the expense in goods and services that perform people. The population that lives in households which their expenses are insufficient to cover the cost of the Basic Basket of Consumption (food and non-food) are considered monetarily poor, meanwhile that the extremely monetarily poor people are those which their expenses are insufficient to cover the Basic Basket of Food Consumption.

For the year 2024, the cost of a basic basket of food and non-food consumption totalized S/ 454 per inhabitant by month. Therefore, for a family of four should correspond an amount of S/ 1,816. For the same year, the cost of the basic food basket was of S/ 256, where the amount for a family of four should be S/1,024.

Cajamarca and Loreto registered monetary poverty rates higher than 40%

During the year 2024, the departments of Cajamarca and Loreto registered the greater monetary poverty rates with 45.0% and 43.0% respectively. On the other hand, the departments with a lower incidence of poverty were Ica (6.0%), Moquegua (11.0%) and Madre de Dios (11.1%).

The INEI informed that during the year 2024, the extreme monetary poverty affected 5.5% of the country's population and reduced by 0.2 percentage point, it means, 50 thousand persons left the condition of extremely poor, compared with the year 2023 (5.7%). Population in situation of extreme poverty condition during 2024 was of 1 million 872 thousand persons.

The greater percentage reduction of the extreme monetary poverty was registered in the rural area, in 0.7 percentage points, by going from 16.2% in the year 2023 to 15.5% in the year 2024; followed by the rest urban area, by going from 3.2% to 3.0%. On the other hand, it increased in 0.1 percentage point, by increasing from 3.2% in the year 2023 to 3.3% in the year 2024, in Lima Metropolitan area and Constitutional Province of Callao.

During the year 2024, 31.8% of the total population was vulnerable non-poor, it means, those that can cover the cost of the basic basket of consumption, but are in risk of falling in poverty before an unfavorable change in their economy (such as loss of employment, loss of business, loss harvest, serious illness, etc.). This figure is higher to the registered in the year 2023 (31.4%).

The incidence of poverty of the population that lives in households headed by women reached 26.1%, being lower compared to those households headed by men (28.4%).

By educational level, it affected in greater measure to the population that lives in households which Head of household reached just primary education level (38.8%), followed by those that reached secondary education level (29.1%) and superior education level (10.7%).

Poverty condition affected the population with households which head of household has Amazonian native language (53.9%), followed by those head of households that have as native language Quechua and Aimara (31.6%) and Spanish (26.0%).

In the households which Chief of household works as dependent employee (employee or worker), 20.5% of the population is living in poverty. When the head of household has an independent job, the poverty reached 31.9% of the population.

The INEI informed that, during the year 2024, 30.2% of the poor population accessed to water with adequate levels of chlorine; and 17.3% in the case of the extreme poor population. With regard to sewerage service by public network, the access was of 56.6% for poor population, and 36.8% of the extremely poor population. Likewise, the access of the households to the Internet is limited, especially in extremely poor population (17.0%), meanwhile that the poor population reaches 36.7%.


Financial inclusion in the poor population
Finally, 42.2% of the poor population of 18 years of age has at least one account in the financial system; on the other hand, with 35.6% of the population in situation of extreme poverty.

In the measurement of poverty, the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics is accompanied by an Advisory Commission, created through Supreme Resolution Nº 097- 2010-PCM. The Commission has within its functions: evaluate, monitor the quality of the National Household Survey (ENAHO), referred to the methodology of measurement of the poverty indicators. This Commission is composed by representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS), National Center for Food and Nutrition (CENAN), Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP), Round Table for the Fight Against Poverty, Economic and Social Research Consortium (CIES), Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE), Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and University of the Pacific (UP); International Organizations such as the World Bank (BM), Inter-American Development Bank (BID), Research Institute for Development (IRD) from the French Government, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); as well as independent experts of acknowledged trajectory.

The INEI, within the framework of its dissemination policy and transparency of the statistical information that produces, makes available to general public the following information: News Release, document “Peru: Evolution of Monetary Poverty 2015-2024, free-access Database, Methodological Documents, Presentation of Monetary Poverty 2024 and Statement of the Advisory Commission for Measurement of Monetary Poverty. Public may access to this information entering to the following INEI’s website: https://www.gob.pe/institucion/inei/informes-publicaciones/6749463-cifras-de-pobreza-2024