LocationsChallenges of Poverty Reduction in Large Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean
October 7, 2025
Details
October 16, 2025
11:00 a.m. (Nueva York)
Online
Latin America and the Caribbean have made notable progress in reducing poverty in recent decades. Despite some decline since 2014, the poverty rate reached its lowest level in the region (26%) in 2022, with a slight decline projected to 25.2% in 2023 and 25% in 2024. However, the structure of poverty in LAC is undergoing significant changes: while rural areas maintain the highest levels, the population living in poverty in urban areas is growing more rapidly. Available information shows that the proportion of people living in poverty in cities increased from 66% in 2000 to 73% in 2022. The trend is even more pronounced in extreme poverty: in this case, the relative weight of those living in urban areas increased from 48% to 68% over the same period (see The Changing Faces of Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP 2024).
Given these changes, it is important to rethink the way the fight against poverty is addressed at the national level and the role that municipal governments play in this regard. This dialogue seeks to discuss these changes and showcase the significant innovation in poverty reduction instruments that have emerged from local governments in recent years.
