May 7, 2026

Encovi: 68% of Venezuelan households remain in poverty despite a drop in extreme poverty

The National Survey of Living Conditions (Encovi), which for years has exposed the depth of the revolutionary collapse in Venezuela, has once again revealed the true national reality beyond propaganda with its data. El Mundo Despite the improvement in food supply since the era of great scarcity and lack of basic products, during the last decade, 'still in one out of three households, income is not enough for the satisfaction of food needs,' stated Anitza Fréitez, coordinator of the study promoted by the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in a country that was once the richest in the region and still holds the largest oil reserves on the planet and among the largest in the world for gas and gold. Despite the exodus of nine million Venezuelans (Encovi estimates the current population at 28.5 million), which has helped improve social indicators, these are still conclusive with the hecatomb caused by Chavismo: poverty stands at 68.5% and extreme poverty at 31.7%. Continued economic recession (in the last two years, GDP is no longer negative) and hyperinflation have destroyed the purchasing power of Venezuelans, who also received the bad news last May 1st that the government will not increase the meager minimum wage (less than half a euro per month) and that the increase announced by Delcy Rodríguez, acting president, will deepen the distribution of bonuses, whose periodicity, according to Encovi, remains around 80%. Basic services are another major headache for Venezuelans, especially electricity: 39% suffer daily power outages of several hours, and only 10% report that the electricity never goes out. Something similar happens with water: only 19% of households have daily and continuous service. The electrical grid, as well as transportation and other deficiencies, also significantly influence the fact that only 44% of students regularly attend classes in Venezuela. 'Educational opportunities have been lost in Caracas and the rest of the country, the precarious situation has been equalized,' denounced Fréitez. Despite the fall of dictator Nicolás Maduro and the installation of Chavismo 3.0 in power, Venezuelans abroad do not see things clearly, according to Encovi: only 10%, belonging to the most popular sectors, plan to return to the country under current conditions. If you want to receive this and other information on your cell phone, download Telegram, enter the link https://t.me/albertorodnews and click on +Join. Alberto News