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- A study published on Wednesday finds more than three-quarters of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty
- The 2020-2021 National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI) was distributed to 14,000 households between February and April this year
- Of Venezuela’s 28 million residents, 76.6 per cent live in extreme poverty — up from 67.7 per cent last year
- The increase was attributed to both the COVID-19 pandemic and chronic fuel shortages
- When measured by income levels alone, 94.5 per cent of Venezuelans live in poverty — a figure unmatched anywhere else in the region
A study published on Wednesday has found more than three-quarters of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty, as the once-prosperous nation’s inflation-driven economic collapse continues for a seventh straight year.
Conducted by researchers at Andres Bello Catholic University (UCAB), the 2020-2021 National Survey of Living Conditions (ENCOVI) showed that of the country’s 28 million residents, 76.6 per cent live in extreme poverty — up from 67.7 per cent last year.
The startling increase was attributed to both the COVID-19 pandemic and chronic fuel shortages, with at least 20 per cent of respondents claiming they could not put fuel in their cars, a major barrier to employment.
The ENCOVI study was created in 2014 to make up for the absence of official data, according to UCAB sociologist Pedro Luis Espana who contributed to the study. It was conducted through questionnaires distributed to 14,000 households in 21 of Venezuela’s 23 states between February and April this year.
“It is the absence of opportunities,” he said. “It is sitting in front of the door of the house, doing nothing, not because you do not want to do anything, but because there is nowhere to do it.”
President Nicolas Maduro’s government has frequently blamed US sanctions for the country’s woes, but critics attribute the country’s crisis to his government’s economic mismanagement.
When measured exclusively by income levels, 94.5 per cent of Venezuelans live in poverty — a figure unmatched anywhere else in the region.
