PIOJ Director General Dr. Wayne Henry said the poverty rate is expected to decline given the continued improvement in the economy.
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PIOJ Director General Dr. Wayne Henry
By Prince Moore
The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) has reported that the prevalence of poverty in 2021 was estimated at 16.7 per cent, a 5 per cent increase over 2019.
The Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions showed that rural areas recorded the highest rate of poverty with 22.1 per cent, followed by other urban centres at 15.5 per cent and the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, 10.4 per cent.
When compared with 2019, the prevalence of poverty in the Greater Kingston metropolitan Area rose by 5.7 percentage points and rural areas by 7.9 percentage points.
It remained unchanged in other urban centres.
Dr. Wayne Henry, Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica, said the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected incomes.
"The poverty rate recorded in 2021 compared with 2019 reflected the adverse impact of the pandemic on household income and consumption and is in keeping with global and regional expectations and experiences."
But he said this impact tempered by positive movements in the macro economy as well as social interventions by the government and the private sector, as reflected in the improvement in real GDP and employment.
Dr. Henry said the poverty rate is expected to decline given the continued improvement in the economy.
He noted that the 2021 edition of the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, which tracks the effects of social and economic programmes and policies, is being finalised and will be made available to the public after it is tabled in Parliament, likely by September.
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