The main indicators of poverty and inequality improved in the Azores in 2025 (data for 2024), even when compared to national averages, according to data released yesterday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The at-risk-of-poverty rate fell to 17.3%, 6.9 percentage points (p.p.) less than in 2023, the largest reduction among all regions, after social transfers. When considering the regional poverty line, the Azores have one of the lowest rates in the country (15.7%). (In 2024, the at-risk-of-poverty rate corresponded to the proportion of inhabitants with net annual monetary income per adult equivalent of less than €8,679 (€723 per month). The population at risk of poverty or social exclusion fell to 21.6%, down 6.8 p.p., bringing the region closer to national levels, but still in first place.

Inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, also decreased (from 33.8 to 31.5), approaching the national average. Severe material and social deprivation fell by almost half (from 12.0% to 6.7%). The Azores are thus no longer the region with the worst results, having approached the rest of the national territory, although some indicators remain above the national average.

NATIONAL RATES ALSO IMPROVE

At the national level, 15.4% of people were at risk of poverty in 2024, 1.2 percentage points (p.p.) less than in 2023. Social transfers related to illness and disability, family, unemployment, and social inclusion contributed to a 5.4 p.p. reduction in the risk of poverty (from 20.8% to 15.4%), which was higher than the contribution recorded in the previous year (4.8 p.p.).

In 2025 (2024 income), 1,995,000 people were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Consequently, the poverty or social exclusion rate reached 18.6%, reflecting a decrease compared to 2024 (19.7%), in line with two of the three basic indicators – poverty and material and social deprivation, according to INE data. Inequality decreased in 2024: the Gini coefficient stood at 30.9% (31.9% in the previous year).

In Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director.