Six Million
Brazilians Lifted Out of
Poverty in 2006
Six million Brazilians
were lifted above the
poverty line in 2006,
said the Getulio Vargas
Foundation (FGV) in a
study released on
Wednesday.
The number of Brazilian
citizens living below
the poverty line dropped
by 15 percent in 2006
compared with 2005. The
FGV stressed that it was
the best result since
the entity started
carrying out the study
in 1992.
The result reflected the
government's policies
implemented over the
past few years, such as
the "Family Scholarship"
aimed at helping
families keep their
children in schools by
providing financial aid,
among other targets,
said the report.
The subsequent minimum
wage rises were also
mentioned as a key
factor.
"I think that the drop
in 2006 will be repeated
in 2007. Once economic
growth is good, there is
a good prospect of
employment growth and
there is also continuity
in the government's
social programs," said
FGV economist Marcelo
Neri, who is in charge
of the study.
This is the first time
the population living in
extreme poverty
represented less than 20
percent of the country's
population.
Neri also stressed that
the incomes of the
country's poorest
10percent of citizens
rose by 57.4 percent in
the period, while those
of the wealthiest 10
percent increased by 6.8
percent, which helped
attenuate income
distribution
inequalities.
The FGV has analyzed
income distribution and
poverty over the past 15
years based on data
provided by the National
Household Sample Survey.
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