Ecuador: Progress Reported in Poverty Reduction

Ecuador has made major strides in reducing poverty and inequality, according to the latest Living Conditions Survey. In the past 8 years, the number of Ecuadorans living in poverty has declined by 1.3 million, a 32.6% decrease, with extreme poverty falling by more than half. Similar gains have been achieved in other fields as well such as health, education, and other basic services. The Gini coefficient, which measures wealth inequality, has declined 4.8 points in the same period. Ecuador's public spending is equivalent to 15% of its GDP, the highest in Latin America. Liz Scherffius reports from Quito. teleSUR