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Mercado popular luminoso con puestos de frutas y verduras frescas y familias comprando alimentos
Mercado popular con alimentos frescos, en una imagen alusiva a la vida cotidiana de los hogares. · EPM

Monetary poverty falls to 14.58% in the Dominican Republic

Monetary poverty fell to 14.58% in the first half of 2026, from 30.7% in 2021 and 17.3% in 2025, according to figures presented by Vice President Raquel Peña.

Monetary poverty fell to 14.58% in the first half of 2026 in the Dominican Republic, according to figures presented by Vice President Raquel Peña during an event devoted to the eradication of poverty. --- The context --- The indicator had been declining in recent years and the new preliminary figure extends that trajectory. The underlying debate is how to sustain the improvement in households' daily lives, with access to education, essential services and quality jobs, and how to prevent families from falling back into poverty when an emergency strikes. --- The facts --- Monetary poverty moved from 30.7% in 2021 to 17.3% in 2025, and the preliminary average for the first half of 2026 stood at 14.58%. Urban poverty decreased from 25% in 2019 to 15%, while in rural areas the indicator moved from 31% to 19% over the same compared period. Extreme poverty moved from 8.7% in 2015 to 2.2%, and the prevalence of undernourishment fell to less than 2.5%. As presented, that result allowed the country to leave the Hunger Map of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Aliméntate and Bono Gas programs benefit close to 1.4 million households, and coverage also includes Bono Luz, Aprende y Avanza and Supérate Mujer. --- The positions --- Peña argued, in terms attributed to her remarks, that the progress requires continuity of social protection policies and broader opportunities for productive inclusion. She also stated that the Government, under the leadership of President Luis Abinader, took as a priority that growth translate into better living conditions. Supérate director general Mayra Jiménez presented the results of family support and defended adaptive social protection mechanisms for emergencies. --- What remains unknown --- The figures for the first half of 2026 were presented as preliminary. The material available does not detail how the improvement is distributed among households or what share corresponds to each program. It also does not specify the future pace of coverage expansion or the concrete results of the National Care System for families in special vulnerability. --- Unanswered questions --- Will 14.58% be confirmed when the preliminary figures are closed definitively? Which households remain outside protection despite the broad coverage described? How will progress be measured toward reducing rural multidimensional poverty to 15% by 2028 and below 10% in 2036? --- EPM analysis --- A progressive reading of the figure emphasizes protection as a floor of rights: transfers, care and family support appear as the network that prevents setbacks. The challenge is to combine that floor with education, services and quality employment so that leaving poverty is durable and does not depend only on temporary assistance. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the fall to 14.58% is a relevant signal because it combines urban, rural and extreme poverty declines, but its real value will depend on social protection being maintained, reaching those still left out and connecting with stable own income. Without continuity, productive inclusion and effective care, the advance can reverse in any emergency and leave households in vulnerability again, especially in rural areas where the historical gap remains larger and more persistent today.
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