Bolivia's Poverty Line: Population Statistics And Insights

Bolivia is a country in South America with a population of approximately 11.8 million people. As of 2019, it was estimated that 37.2% of the population was living below the poverty line. This percentage has fluctuated over the years, with a reported rate of 15.5% in 2019, 17.3% in 2020, and 15.2% in 2021. In 2021, approximately 5.4% of the Bolivian population lived on less than $3.65 per day. The poverty rate in Bolivia is measured using various indicators, such as the poverty headcount ratio and the poverty gap, which reflect the depth and extent of poverty in the country.

In 2019, 37.2% of the population lived below the poverty line

In 2019, 37.2% of Bolivia's population lived below the poverty line, according to a 2021 estimate from the CIA World Factbook. This is a significant number of people, and it highlights the extent of poverty in the country. The definition of poverty varies among nations, and national estimates are based on surveys of subgroups, weighted by the number of people in each group.

Bolivia's poverty rate has fluctuated over the years, with the rate being 15.50% in 2019, a 3.6% decline from 2018, according to the World Bank. The poverty rate increased to 17.30% in 2020, a 1.8% rise from the previous year, before decreasing again to 15.20% in 2021. The latest data from 2022 shows that Bolivia's poverty rate was 0.00%, a significant 15.2% decline from 2021.

The World Bank's poverty headcount ratio provides additional context to Bolivia's situation. This ratio represents the percentage of the population living on less than a specified amount per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP). As of 2020, the poverty headcount ratio at $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) was 3.2%, a notable decrease from 4.4% in 2019. This indicates that a smaller proportion of the population was living on a very low income.

Despite recent improvements, Bolivia has historically struggled with high poverty rates, and it is important for the country to continue addressing this issue to ensure the well-being of its citizens.

In 2021, 5.4% of the population lived on less than $3.65 per day

In 2021, 5.4% of Bolivia's population lived on less than $3.65 per day. This figure has decreased continuously since 2016, except for a slight increase in 2020. However, the unemployment rate in Bolivia reached its highest level since 1999 in the same year.

The definition of poverty varies among nations, and national estimates of the percentage of the population below the poverty line are based on surveys of subgroups. As a result, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared directly. For example, wealthy nations typically employ more generous standards of poverty than poorer nations.

The poverty rate in Bolivia has fluctuated over the years, with the World Bank reporting a rate of 15.20% in 2021, a 17.30% poverty rate in 2020, and a 15.50% rate in 2019. The poverty rate is determined by the percentage of the population living on less than a specified amount of money per day, which is adjusted for relative purchasing power parity (PPP).

Despite the overall decreasing trend in the percentage of the population living on less than $3.65 per day, Bolivia continues to face economic challenges, as indicated by the peak in the unemployment rate in 2020. The impact of poverty is also important to consider, as it can affect access to healthcare, education, and other essential services, further exacerbating the challenges faced by those living below the poverty line.

To address these challenges, the Bolivian government and international organizations have implemented various measures, including social welfare programs and economic initiatives, to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of its citizens.

In 2020, the unemployment rate reached a 21-year peak

Bolivia has a large population living below the poverty line, estimated at 37.2% in 2019. The poverty headcount ratio at 3.65 US dollars a day in Bolivia has decreased since 2016, with 5.4% of the population living on less than this amount per day in 2021. However, the unemployment rate in the country reached a peak in 2020, with an unemployment rate of 7.9%, the highest it had been in 21 years. This was a 4.22% increase from 2019, when the unemployment rate was at 3.68%. The impact of the global pandemic is likely to have contributed to this sharp rise in unemployment.

Unemployment in Bolivia refers to the share of the labour force actively seeking employment but unable to find work. It does not include those who are economically inactive, such as the long-term unemployed, those under the age of 15, or retired persons. The unemployment rate in 2021 was 5.09%, a 2.81% decline from 2020, indicating a positive shift.

The unemployment rate in Bolivia continued to decrease in 2022, reaching 3.55%. This was a significant drop from the peak in 2020 and brought the rate below that of 2019. The decrease in the unemployment rate over these two years is a positive sign for the country's economic recovery.

While the unemployment rate in Bolivia has shown improvement since the peak in 2020, it is important to consider the broader context of poverty in the country. The poverty rate in Bolivia, as indicated by the percentage of the population living below the poverty line, remains high. The impact of the increased unemployment rate in 2020 may have contributed to a rise in the poverty rate, affecting the overall economic well-being of the country.

Overall, the unemployment rate in Bolivia reached a concerning peak in 2020, but subsequent years showed improvement, with the rate decreasing steadily. However, the broader context of poverty in the country, with a significant portion of the population living below the poverty line, is a persistent issue that needs to be addressed.

The poverty rate fell by 15.2% between 2021 and 2022

Bolivia has seen a significant decrease in its poverty rate between 2021 and 2022, with a notable drop of 15.2%. This reduction in the poverty rate is a positive development for the South American country, which had experienced a peak in its unemployment rate in 2020.

In 2021, approximately 5.4% of the Bolivian population lived on less than 3.65 US dollars per day. This figure represents a continuous decrease since 2016, excluding the increase in 2020, which was a challenging year economically. The decrease in the poverty rate is a step in the right direction for Bolivia, which had an estimated 37.2% of its population living below the poverty line in 2019.

The World Bank's data on poverty in Bolivia is based on official government sources or computations using country-specific poverty lines. The poverty rate in Bolivia for 2022 was 0.00%, a significant improvement from the previous year's rate of 15.20%. This decline translates to a decrease of 2.1% from 2020's rate of 17.30%.

The successful reduction in the poverty rate between 2021 and 2022 is a testament to the country's efforts to improve economic conditions and the well-being of its citizens. It is essential to acknowledge that the definition of poverty varies among nations, and rich nations generally employ more generous standards of poverty than poorer nations. Nonetheless, Bolivia's progress in reducing its poverty rate is a positive development, contributing to the overall improvement of living standards for its population.

The World Bank uses household surveys to compute national poverty lines

Bolivia is a country in South America. In 2021, approximately 5.4% of the Bolivian population was living on less than $3.65 per day, with this figure having decreased steadily since 2016. However, the unemployment rate in Bolivia reached its highest level since 1999 in 2020. An earlier estimate in 2019 placed the percentage of the population below the poverty line at 37.2%. It is important to note that definitions of poverty vary among nations, and these numbers are based on surveys of sub-groups.

The World Bank has also employed phone surveys to monitor welfare in various circumstances, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises. In response to the pandemic, the World Bank and its partners launched an extensive data collection effort using high-frequency phone surveys (HFPS) in over 100 countries. These surveys provided valuable information on household socio-economic well-being, including indicators on food security, employment, income loss, and household coping strategies.

The World Bank's Poverty and Equity Global Practice (GP) and the Development Data Group (DECDG) collaborate with other World Bank Global Practices and National Statistical Offices (NSOs) to develop survey tools and technical guidelines. These guidelines cover sampling methods, questionnaire templates, and the implementation of computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)-based data collection.

The World Bank's household surveys, including the LSMS and HFPS, provide critical data on national poverty lines and inform policies aimed at improving the lives of people living in poverty.

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