Newsmaker… Week: J’cans react to news that poverty rate has fallen bigtime

This week’s featured development as Newsmaker of the Week is the range of reactions to Jamaica’s poverty rate plummeting to a record low of 8.2 per cent in 2023, down from 16.7 per cent in 2021, marking a significant milestone in the country’s economic journey, according to some social media users.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Finance and the Public Service Minister, Fayval Williams, have been among those championing the positive news, with the latter describing it as the “best news of the week, year, (and) decade”.

Some political observers have even said the low poverty rate could give the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Administration a boost heading into the General Elections that are due later this year.

While some social media users have welcomed the statistics, pointing to improvements in their personal financial standing, others have expressed scepticism at the statistics.

According to Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr Wayne Henry, the decline in the poverty rate is a testament to the progress that has been made across all regions of the country.

On Wednesday, he outlined that the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area saw a drop from 10.4 per cent in poverty, to three per cent in 2023, while other urban centres (OUCs) declined to nine per cent from 15.5 per cent in 2021.

Rural areas, which historically experience the highest poverty rates, experienced a significant drop from 22.1 per cent to 11.5 per cent in poverty.

In addition to the national decline in poverty, Henry also reported a decline in food poverty, which is also referred to as ‘extreme poverty’.

“In the Jamaican context, food poverty refers to the inability of a household to afford the minimum daily caloric intake required for good health,” he remarked.

He highlighted that, “In 2023, the food poverty rate fell to 2.8 per cent, down from 5.8 per cent in 2021, and four per cent in 2029, marking the lowest level on record.”

The factors contributing to the lower poverty rates, according to the PIOJ, include the economic recovery from COVID-19; an 85.7 per cent increase in the National Minimum Wage between 2022 and 2023; the strengthening of social protection programmes, including the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH); and remittances that continue to supplement the income of nearly 50 per cent of Jamaican households.

In reacting to the developments, Finance Minister Fayval Williams was ecstatic, describing the decline as “massive”, and calling for it to be celebrated.

She attributed the decline to the increase in the minimum wage and improvement in the employed labour force.

Williams also highlighted the net increase of 85,600 persons being employed between 2021 and 2023, and the historically low unemployment rate of 3.7 per cent.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, was also optimistic about the future, saying that “at eight per cent, we are within striking distance” of ending absolute poverty.

He elaborated that, “We can end absolute poverty… We want to ensure that we push this poverty prevalence number way, way down, and then at that point, we can revise what is the new threshold for somebody to be considered living at or below the poverty line.”

He emphasised the Government’s commitment to implementing policies that directly impact the lives of Jamaicans, including revising PATH and rolling out the Solidarity Programme.

To those who may be sceptical of the poverty rate decline and other relative statistics, Holness pointed to, among other things, the Government significantly increasing public sector wages, the increases in the national minimum wage, and the low unemployment rate, as examples of more households receiving income to reduce absolute poverty.

For some social media users, the data speaks for itself: Jamaica is making significant strides in reducing poverty, and the Government is committed to building on this progress.

However, others have countered those narratives, arguing that they have not seen the lives of others who could be considered poor improving.

In commenting on an article sharing the news about the poverty rate decline, economist Dr Damien King wrote on X: “News: Jamaica records lowest ever poverty

rate.

“This is unsurprising, given the record high employment, and should be an adequate evidentiary rebuttal to those who keep insisting that “ppl (people) not feeling” the economic improvement,” he asserted.

In offering a sarcastic outlook, political commentator Kevin O’Brien Chang wrote on X: “Record low poverty rate; record low unemployment rate; 30-year low debt/GDP rate; (and) 30-year low murder rate.

“Nuttin naw gwaan! Pure sufferation in Jamaica!” added Chang with a smiley emoji to highlight that his latter comments were aimed at poking fun at those who claim that things are not going well in the country.

Wrote another X user: “For the PNP (People’s National Party) …, they (PIOJ) are talking about relative vs absolute poverty in Jamaica, so let’s not tap dance and get stupid plz.”

On Facebook, a man questioned the statistics that have been presented by the PIOJ.

“The poverty rate is 2023, and we now in 2025, so how does this statistic count, and 2023, COVID was still affecting people pockets. Hmmm, these statistics not adding up for me, PIOJ,” the man stated.

“A who them a ask these questions? Half of my generation still don’t own a home and never will! FYI for who don’t know, living in a rent house you’re homeless; lose your job or get sick lol,” another man suggested.

In response to that view, a woman stated: “This is dunce reasoning. A lot of business ppl with money and high paying professionals live in rent house and apartments.

“Renting is a preference for most ppl (people). It doesn’t mean u (you) are poor or can’t afford to build a house,” she claimed.

According to a woman, “Everybody and dem mumma a buy vehicle, and have business, (and) who naa mek house, a buy bike.

“When dem done dem seh Jamaica poor. Poor wha? Certain set of people call down poor on Jamaican people,” she added.

Commented a man: “Andrew (Holness), this is your election win mi boss; people ago vote in you back for your third term because people a shop online like wow, supermarkets ever full, people a travel, road a fix, cho, third term secured, nah load again!”

While not disputing the figures, a woman had concerns about how the data was being pushed to the public.

“Has anyone ever stopped to visit rural St Thomas, rural St Andrew, every rural area, to see how impoverished some people are?” she asked.

“Not disputing what PIOJ is saying, but I just don’t buy it totally that absolute poverty is now in single digit because there are some people who are begging for help desperately,” she contended.

Wrote a man: “While I don’t deny that abject poverty has decreased, I believe it’s way more than eight per cent.

“I think it’s at 12 per cent, and cost of living is extremely high. A lot of us on the lower end of society just can’t afford to survive.”

But for another female social media user, the news by the PIOJ relative to poverty is good for the country.

Continuing, she said: “Waiting for the usual negative spin from the naysayers.

“Of course, we acknowledge there’s more to be done and those who can teach others a skill, provide employment or give to the less fortunate, should continue or start doing so,” she stated.

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