The methodoly on measuring poverty was updated, essentially the income limits were increased. The final result that continue to be vidible in the new methodoly is that poverty decreased in the last few years, this was the case for poverty overall and extreme poverty as well (included in the poverty figure, not in addition to it).
Overall inequality continues to decrease, but when urban and countryside areas are separated a recent difference appears. While urban inequality continues to decline, rural inequality actually increase between 2021 and 2022. Right now, rural inequality is at the same level it was before the Covid pandemic. What could be the reasons for this change?
Most of the Dominican population lives in urban areas, a figure that is between 70% to 80%, it could be higher than 80% by this time. Due to that whatever happens in rural areas doesn't have as much weight on a nationwide scale, unlike before the 1970's when most Dominicans lived in rural areas. Despite that, rural DR should be becoming more equal, not more unequal.
When the figures are broken by the four major regions (Ozama = National District + Santo Domingo province, so that means going eastward it includes Boca Chica but not Juan Dolio which is in the East), it becomes evident that most of the inequality decrease was in the East and Ozama regions. The Cibao also had a decrease but very small, essentially it's the same. The South had an even smaller decrease that it didn't change the figure.
The most unequal part of the DR continues to be Ozama, but not as it was before. Followed by the South, the Cibao, and lastly the East. It used to be that the most unequal part of the DR was Ozama and then the South, then the East, and finally the Cibao.
It should be noted that right now the DR is sandwiched with its two closest neighbors having a considerable higher inequality levels. To the west Haiti and to the east Puerto Rico. In fact, no state in the USA has inequality levels like Puerto Rico, currently above 0.50. Of course, Puerto Rico is still much wealthier than the DR and perhaps this helps mask the much higher inequality level there, at least to the average Joe.
A change is seen regarding poverty. For a long time, the region with the highest poverty rate was the South, but now Ozama comes out as first with a whopping 34.1%.
That's another mystery considering that's the most industrialized area of the DR followed by the Cibao. Could migration explains why poverty is so high in Ozama? Dominicans from the interior, Haitians, and Venezuelans are most of the poor that migrate to the Capital region. Is the area getting overwhelmed by their arrival? Of those groups, the ones with the highest percentage of migrants arriving with university degrees are Venezuelans while Haitians have the least. It would be interesting to see if this has changed a little with the Haitians as many middle class and rich Haitians are moving to the DR dud to the gang situation in Haiti.
The least poor area of the DR is the Cibao.
With extreme poverty (included in the figures above, not in addition to those figures) the South continues to have a higher percentage than Ozama. In urbsn areas, most of the extreme poverty households are those living in tiny shacks in the slums. Although the South continue to have more relative to Ozama, the East has less than Ozama. The Cibao has the lowest nationwide and probably islandwide.
Full report (in Spanish): https://mepyd.gob.do/download/4663/...ticas-oficiales-de-pobreza-monetaria-2022.pdf
For comparieon, this is a recent map of population density and distribution in the DR.
Overall inequality continues to decrease, but when urban and countryside areas are separated a recent difference appears. While urban inequality continues to decline, rural inequality actually increase between 2021 and 2022. Right now, rural inequality is at the same level it was before the Covid pandemic. What could be the reasons for this change?
Most of the Dominican population lives in urban areas, a figure that is between 70% to 80%, it could be higher than 80% by this time. Due to that whatever happens in rural areas doesn't have as much weight on a nationwide scale, unlike before the 1970's when most Dominicans lived in rural areas. Despite that, rural DR should be becoming more equal, not more unequal.
When the figures are broken by the four major regions (Ozama = National District + Santo Domingo province, so that means going eastward it includes Boca Chica but not Juan Dolio which is in the East), it becomes evident that most of the inequality decrease was in the East and Ozama regions. The Cibao also had a decrease but very small, essentially it's the same. The South had an even smaller decrease that it didn't change the figure.
The most unequal part of the DR continues to be Ozama, but not as it was before. Followed by the South, the Cibao, and lastly the East. It used to be that the most unequal part of the DR was Ozama and then the South, then the East, and finally the Cibao.
It should be noted that right now the DR is sandwiched with its two closest neighbors having a considerable higher inequality levels. To the west Haiti and to the east Puerto Rico. In fact, no state in the USA has inequality levels like Puerto Rico, currently above 0.50. Of course, Puerto Rico is still much wealthier than the DR and perhaps this helps mask the much higher inequality level there, at least to the average Joe.
A change is seen regarding poverty. For a long time, the region with the highest poverty rate was the South, but now Ozama comes out as first with a whopping 34.1%.
That's another mystery considering that's the most industrialized area of the DR followed by the Cibao. Could migration explains why poverty is so high in Ozama? Dominicans from the interior, Haitians, and Venezuelans are most of the poor that migrate to the Capital region. Is the area getting overwhelmed by their arrival? Of those groups, the ones with the highest percentage of migrants arriving with university degrees are Venezuelans while Haitians have the least. It would be interesting to see if this has changed a little with the Haitians as many middle class and rich Haitians are moving to the DR dud to the gang situation in Haiti.
The least poor area of the DR is the Cibao.
With extreme poverty (included in the figures above, not in addition to those figures) the South continues to have a higher percentage than Ozama. In urbsn areas, most of the extreme poverty households are those living in tiny shacks in the slums. Although the South continue to have more relative to Ozama, the East has less than Ozama. The Cibao has the lowest nationwide and probably islandwide.
Full report (in Spanish): https://mepyd.gob.do/download/4663/...ticas-oficiales-de-pobreza-monetaria-2022.pdf
For comparieon, this is a recent map of population density and distribution in the DR.
