Despite an estimated growth rate this year of around 4%, Peru lags in the ranking of countries in Latin America that suffer from multidimensional poverty. It comes after Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Bolivia according to figures released by the United Nations and Oxford University’s OPHI (Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative).

Multi-dimensional poverty is an index that seeks to go beyond monetary poverty by including such complementary aspects as poor education, healthcare provision, housing, access to basic services and other aspects of general well-being. As such, it provides a rather more telling view of real poverty levels.

According to the report, 12.4% of Peruvians live in conditions of multi-dimensional poverty, three times the estimated level of extreme poverty. Levels of multi-dimensional poverty are ten times higher in rural than urban areas of Peru.