WILLEMSTAD – Multidimensional poverty in Curaçao remains higher in 2023 than it was in 2011, despite a modest improvement since its peak in 2017. That conclusion emerges from a new report by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which measures poverty using a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) that looks beyond income alone.
According to the report, 7.9 percent of households were classified as multidimensionally poor in 2023, compared to 5.4 percent in 2011. Although the situation improved compared to 2017, when the share rose to 9.4 percent, the long-term trend points to a broader and more persistent form of deprivation affecting Curaçaoan households.
The MPI examines deprivations across four dimensions: health, education, livelihood and standards of living. A household is considered multidimensionally poor when deprivations reach or exceed a defined threshold across these areas.
CBS notes that while income poverty has declined over the years, non-monetary forms of deprivation have become more prominent, underscoring the limits of income-only poverty measures.