The at-risk-of-poverty rate after social transfers in the Autonomous Region of the Azores was 24.2% in 2023, 1.9 percentage points lower than in 2022. Even so, this figure exceeds the national average of 16.6%, according to data provided by the Azores Regional Statistics Service (SREA),
As in previous years, the risk of poverty was highest in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, at 24.2%, and in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, at 19.1%. The latter stood out for its greater reduction in the poverty rate between 2022 and 2023 when considering the national poverty threshold.
Regarding very low labor intensity per capita, the figure for the Azores was 6.8% in 2023, an improvement of 2.1 percentage points on the previous year but still above the national average of 4.8%. In addition, 28.4% of the population in the Azores was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024 (data referring to 2023 incomes), a decrease of 3.0 percentage points compared to 2023 but higher than the national average of 19.7%.
The rate of severe material and social deprivation in the Azores was 8.2% in 2024, down 3.8 percentage points in 2023 but still above the national average of 4.3%.
Improvements have been made in terms of income inequality. The S80/S20 indicator in the Azores went from 6.5 in 2022 to 5.9 in 2023 (national average: 5.2). The Gini Coefficient, which measures income inequality, was 33.8 in the Azores in 2023, down 2.2 points from the previous year but above the national average of 31.9.
At a national level, the risk of poverty among the Portuguese fell to 16.6% in 2023. According to INE, this is a drop of 0.4 p.p. compared to 2022. After rising in 2022 compared to the previous year, the risk of poverty among the Portuguese fell again in 2023 to 16.6%. The figures show that poverty fell among children and adults of working age but increased among the over-65s. However, the poverty reduction did not extend to all age groups: it fell for the under-18s and working-age adults (down 2.9 p.p. and 1.6 p.p., respectively). Still, it increased for the elderly population (up 4.0 p.p.).
The poverty risk fell for the employed population, from 10.0% in 2022 to 9.2% in 2023, and for the unemployed population, from 46.7% in 2022 to 44.3% in 2023. Social transfers related to illness and disability, family, unemployment, and social inclusion reduced the risk of poverty by 4.8 p.p. (from 21.4% to 16.6%), a higher contribution than the previous year (4.2 p.p.).

In Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.