food insecurity rises to 37.9%

The Government of Antioquia announced the results of the Antioquia Quality of Life Survey 2023. The report covers various essential aspects such as education, employment, food security, demographics and housing. It also details the most challenging conditions for the department such as food security, poverty and economic dependency.

“This is a very complete study that helps understand the dynamics of the department with real figures that contribute to academia, the business sector, the public sector, public policies and decision-making. In addition, it is complemented by the Antioquia Data platform that we have from the Government and which gives us a complete statistical overview of the territory.”highlighted the Director of Planning, Manuel Naranjo Giraldo.

To carry out this study, 35,375 homes were interviewed in the 125 municipalities of the department, covering 65% of the urban area and 35% of the rural area. Additionally, a specific module was included for black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities.

“The survey allows us to design, formulate and propose public policies and programs, especially in strategies that are reflected in the Development Plan, such as the Departmental Care System, particularly because we have found that men and women have a large gap in terms of care of children and older adultsstated Cristian Sánchez Salazar, survey coordinator for the University of Antioquia.

In general terms, poverty in the department has decreased since the pandemic, a historical moment in which the highest levels of the century were recorded. Despite this improvement, 25% of the population of Antioquia, that is, one in four Antioquians, is still below the monetary poverty line. The situation is more serious among the Afro community, with a poverty rate of 39%, and in the peasant sector, where it reaches 28.6%.

In 2023, Antioquia’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) stood at 10.1%, while at the national level, Colombia registered an MPI of 12.1%. Within the department, the Bajo Cauca subregion presented the highest levels of MPI, reaching 25% of households. They are followed by Magdalena Medio with 17.3%, North with 17.4%, and Urabá with 15.8%.

Food insecurity and economic dependence: it is imperative for Antioquia to rethink its strategies

In Antioquia, the levels of hunger and food insecurity stand at 37.9%. Moderate food insecurity reaches 20%, while severe insecurity is 18%. However, these indicators are higher in the Afro population (61.9% in hunger levels) and peasants (45.1% in the same indicator).

The subregions with the highest levels of food insecurity are Bajo Cauca, Magdalena Medio and Urabá. Severe insecurity is concentrated mainly in Atrato Medio, Urabá Norte and Magdalena Ribereña. On the other hand, it was found that severe food insecurity is higher in households where the heads of household are women (20.5%) compared to those where the heads of household are men (15.4%). In contrast, Food security is lower in households headed by women (27.6%) compared to households headed by men (34.2%).

In households inhabited only by adults (over 18 years of age), there are higher levels of food security (36%), compared to 20% of households where at least one child under 5 years of age lives. Regarding mild (38.5%) and moderate (23%) insecurity, the levels are higher in homes with children under 5 years of age compared to homes composed only of adults.

The Economic Dependency Index, which measures the proportion of people who are economically dependent on those of working age, reveals that the Bajo Cauca subregion has the highest dependency rates with 59.6%, followed by the Urabá subregion with a 55.5%. These high levels of dependency underscore the need to implement economic strategies that strengthen the productive capacity of these areas.

In Antioquia, it stands out that 59% of households are headed by women, while 41% are headed by men. However, there is a significant disparity in average monthly income: female-headed households earn an average of 2,856,000 pesos, compared to the 3,751,103 pesos earned on average by male-headed households. This difference reflects an economic gap that must be addressed to promote gender equality in the region.

Additionally, the per capita income of an average Antioquian is 1.5 times higher than that of a peasant, which highlights the economic disparity between urban and rural areas. This data highlights the importance of developing policies that promote rural development and reduce income gaps between the different sectors of the Antioquia population.

Health insurance: departmental overview

In Antioquia, 93.98% of the population is affiliated with the health system. When reviewing by geographic area, 95.14% of the inhabitants of rural areas are part of the system; The percentage is slightly lower in urban areas: 93.61%. If this indicator is reviewed by subregion, the East is the one with the lowest affiliation with 89.4%.

In Antioquia, 63.62% of people over 60 years of age are affiliated with the health system in the subsidized regime, while the percentage barely reaches 40.04% of individuals with this age range who live in urban areas. On the contrary, affiliation from the contributory regime is 56.12% in people over 60 years of age who live in urban areas vs. 32.84% who live in rural areas.
Regarding Antioquians aged 18 or younger, 67.70% of those enrolled in the subsidized system live in rural areas. The number of users enrolled in urban areas reaches 46.53%. In the contributory system, 46.80% of users are enrolled in urban areas vs. 27.75% in rural areas.

In relation to the population with disabilities affiliated with the health system, coverage of 95.07% is evident. If analyzed by geographical area, 95.63% reside in rural areas and 94.89% in urban spaces.