Colombia poverty fell in 2022, extreme poverty rose slightly -gov't

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Poverty levels in Colombia declined slightly in 2022, according to a report from the government's DANE statistics agency, although the proportion of people living in extreme poverty rose slightly.

The share of Colombians living in poverty fell to 36.6% in 2022 - equivalent to 18.3 million people in the country of 50 million - down from 39.7% in 2021, the agency said in a report on Friday.

However, while poverty declined overall, the share of the population living in extreme poverty rose slightly to 13.8% last year, from 13.7% in 2021, DANE said, adding that 6.9 million people were living in extreme poverty in Colombia in 2022.

President Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, took power in August last year after winning an election with promises to fight poverty and inequality and to increase access to healthcare, among other pledges.

According to the report, DANE defines poverty as those surviving on some $3.30 a day, while those in extreme poverty live on around $1.65 a day or less.

(Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Alistair Bell)