The Chilean government presented the Casen 2024 survey results, showing income poverty dropping to 17.3%, equivalent to nearly 600,000 fewer people than in 2022, under a more stringent methodology. However, the poorest households increasingly rely on state subsidies, which now make up 69% of their income. Extreme poverty stands at 6.9%, while multidimensional poverty falls to 17.7%.
The National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (Casen) 2024, released this Thursday at the Cineteca of the Centro Cultural de La Moneda in Santiago, adopts an updated methodology recommended by an advisory commission, eliminating imputed rent and differentiating poverty lines for renters ($352,359 per equivalent person) and non-renters ($237,094), averaging $268,146. This measurement, based on the 2021-2022 Family Budget Survey, includes a healthier basic food basket, reducing ultra-processed products by 50%, and adds dimensions like caregiving, digital connectivity, and educational learning.
The income poverty rate stood at 17.3%, affecting 3,478,364 people, down from 20.5% in 2022. Under the previous methodology, it would have fallen from 6.5% to 4.9%. Extreme poverty dropped to 6.9%, from 8.5% in 2022, 14.3% in 2020, and 9.2% in 2017. Development and Social Minister Javiera Toro credited President Gabriel Boric's policies: “Chile is less poor than four years ago [...] public policies [...] have allowed recovering a path of growth, but also focused on social security”.
However, in the lowest income decile, state subsidies rose from 27% in 2017 to 69% in 2024, while autonomous income fell from 63% to 31%, highlighting the Universal Guaranteed Pension (PGU). LyD economist Paulina Henoch warned: “It is concerning what is happening with the group of greatest deprivations. In the first decile, there is a drop in work income and a significant increase in monetary subsidies”.
Multidimensional poverty decreased from 20% to 17.7%, with 20 indicators across five expanded dimensions. Severe poverty, combining insufficient income and multidimensional deprivations, fell from 7.8% to 6.1%. The Gini index remained at 0.464, with no significant change from 0.470 in 2022. Subsecretary Paula Poblete stressed: “The standard of living [...] changed, and the State must rise to the occasion”.
In a letter to the editor, Rodrigo Jordán, president of the Fundación Superación de la Pobreza, urged action: “These figures are not distributed homogeneously [...] It is essential to address these gaps”. President Boric, responding to right-wing criticism, tweeted: “While the right insists that Chile is falling apart [...] poverty in Chile has significantly receded”.
