Life quality sinks in Latin America

Slightly lower economic numbers in the face of an increasing population, coupled with an extremely arbitrary and unfair distribution of wealth, made poverty accrue and living standards fall in almost all Latin American countries during 2003.

A report issued today by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) discloses that current living conditions in the region are worse off than in the past six years as an ever-growing population relies now on less assets and services. One of the sectors hit hard by this situation is that of employees and laborers, whose income money has lost considerable purchasing power as a result of plummeting salaries.

”GNP per capita in 2003 was 1.5 percent lower than the one registered in 1997. After six years of less income money per inhabitant and a poorly active workforce, a walloping 44.4 percent of the population (227 million people) live under the poverty line,” the report goes on to state. Experts believe insufficient economic growth in putting better living conditions for all Latin Americans in harm’s way.