Data gathered by Pordata for the International Day of Poverty reveal that the Portuguese population is getting poorer, reports Diario de Noticias. The number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Portugal increased by 12.5% in 2020 compared to 2019, the first increase since 2014.
In the European Union, Portugal is the second country with the most people living in poor material conditions. The findings also reveal that while the poorer are getting poorer, the richer are getting richer in Portugal.
Luis Loura, director of Pordata has said that Portugal is now further away from reaching its goal by 2030 of less than 765,000 people living in poverty.
“Portugal deviated from its poverty reduction trajectory that it was on since 2014. In 2020 there was an aggravation. Without social support, 4.4 million people are in poverty or have anincome below the poverty line (554 euros monthly),” said Luis Loura.
In the case of the risk of poverty and social exclusion in comparison to 2017, it has now increased from 43.5% at the time to now 43.7%. Poverty hits 18.4% of the Portuguese population after social support.
In comparison to countries in the European Union, Portugal’s position has worsened. There are three key indicators of regression, “the population percentage at risk of poverty and social exclusion, the poverty risk rate, and inequality in income distribution.”
Portugal remains in 8th place in regard to these findings, only improving to 10th place after social support from the government. This includes parental leave, unemployment allowances, and more.
