MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Three million Chileans below poverty line.

At the end of 2003, almost three million Chileans, 18,8% of the population were below the poverty line according to the latest socio-economic characterization poll which was released this Thursday in Santiago.

The main purpose of the poll is a diagnosis of the Chilean population living conditions, assessing exclusion areas, poverty concentration and the distributive impact of national social support programs, which help to design and implement the government's social policies.

In Chile the methodology is based on income or "basic needs costs" which determines an individual is poor when his level of income is below satisfaction of basic needs, or indigent, if his income is insufficient to satisfy basic food needs.

The latest 2003 poll indicates that 14,1% of Chileans are poor (2.179.600) and 4,7% indigent (728.100).

However compared to 2000, when the index was 20,6% this means that at least 170,000 people managed to overcome poverty, and regarding indigence numbers are more encouraging, 5,7% in 2000, 4,7% in 2003, which represents 120,000 people.

The survey also shows that rural poverty and indigence is greater than in urban areas, but so is the reduction of those numbers. In the 2000/2003 period rural indigence dropped 2,1 points compared to 0,8 points in urban areas.

Regarding government programs impact and their efficiency, the survey indicates that in the poorest segment of the 18,8%, over 50% of families income is made up of improvements linked to education and health policies as well as cash subsidies.