Study says a third of Belizeans are poor

The Ministry of National Development today released the findings of a major survey conducted three years ago to determine the level of poverty in Belize and its impact on the economy. The 2002 Poverty Assessment Report, based on a sample of seventeen hundred people, estimates that ten-point-eight percent of the country’s population is considered very poor or indigent, while thirty-three-point-five percent are poor. A further break down shows that poverty is more or less equal between the sexes, but the highest level of poverty has taken root among the nation’s youngest citizens, of whom thirty-nine percent were deemed to be poor. The poverty rates varied by district and were highest for Toledo, where seventy-nine percent of the population was poor and lowest in the Belize District with twenty-four point eight percent in the poverty bracket. Deputy Chief Statistician, Elizabeth Talbert, says what the report does not explicitly say, but should be considered, is that poverty often has more to do with perception than reality.

Elizabeth Talbert, Deputy Chief Statistician
?Well the major finding is showing that poverty is at thirty-three point five percent where we have one in every three person in the population below the poverty line. And then we have one in every ten person is considered extremely poor, very poor.”

Patrick Jones
?How did you all go about putting this report together??

Elizabeth Talbert
?The report was prepared by a team of authors mainly from the Central Statistical Office, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of National Development.?

Patrick Jones
?Now how do you define poverty? Who is poor??

Elizabeth Talbert
?For this particular case we use the definition where a person who is not able to meet his basic food and non-food needs is considered poor. And if you are not able to meet your food need, you are then considered very poor.?

?When we are looking at the food cost, the main cost that determines if you are very poor, that in Toledo District was the highest compared to any other district where to feed a person who requires two thousand four hundred kilo calories, it would cost over four dollars in Toledo District, compared to Cayo District where it would only about cost anly about three dollars. So if you are not able to meet those costs for the day, your basic food cost, you are considered very poor. And then when you add the non-food cost to that, it increases the poverty line and those who are not to even able to meet that are considered poor.?

Patrick Jones
?Now, did we need a survey? Did we need a report to tell us that? Didn?t we already know that??

Elizabeth Talbert
?A survey would give you some scientific data. But, I should add that as part of this whole poverty assessment there was some focus groups discussion done before the survey and even after the survey, and these people were asked about their own perception of poverty. And when you do that, many of the people would tell you that they don?t consider themselves to be poor because they are meeting their basic needs and they are comfortable with their situation.?

The 2002 Poverty Assessment Report was undertaken with funding from the United Kingdom Government. It was conducted over a four-week period in February 2002.