​The number of poor Mozambicans rose from 46% to 65% between 2015 and 2022, according to the National Development Strategy, 2022-2044, approved at the 18th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers.

"In terms of poverty, estimates indicate an increase in consumption poverty, from 46.1% in 2014/15 to 68.2% in 2019/20 and slightly reduced to 65.0% from 2019/20 to 2022," reads the report. document published by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and consulted today by MZNews.

The Family Budget Survey shows that during this period, the increase in poverty in rural areas was 68.4% compared to 58.4% in urban areas. The rates also show a higher prevalence of poverty in the northern and central regions, with 70.2% and 65.6%, respectively. Poverty in the southern region is around 54.8%.

Practically, this increase in the number of poor Mozambicans in Mozambique took place during the eight years (2015-2022) of Filipe Nyusi's reign as President of the Republic - he was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. This year, 2024, he is serving his final months in Ponta Vermelha. Mozambique goes to the polls on October 9 to choose the next President of the Republic.

The document recognizes that the phenomenon of poverty has spread throughout society and has affected people from various backgrounds. It points to climate change (cyclones Idai and Kenneth), rising food prices, climate shocks that affect families' agricultural production and the transport sector, and the terrorist situation in the north of the country as the causes of the increase in the number of poor people in the country.

Also in the chapter on "Poverty Trends", the report points to an increase in inequality in five years - the first term - from 0.47 in 2014/15 to 0.51 in 2019/20, being more pronounced in rural areas and the northern regions of the country. The factors are the same.

But also, notes the document, "the causes of poverty in the country are diverse and interconnected and are closely linked to conjunctural and structural issues. Among the main factors are rapid population growth which puts pressure on basic services, poor employment opportunities, inequality of income and access to resources, and poor investment in essential infrastructure."

Multidimensional poverty has seen a more stable change in the rate, from 55% in 2014/15 to 53.1% in 2022, suggesting improvements in access to education and drinking water. However, the challenge of adequate housing conditions with access to safe water and sanitation, electricity and the possession of durable goods still prevails, with greater emphasis on rural areas where 66.6% of the country's total population resides, it reads.