In order to know what the meaning of the term poverty line is, we are going to proceed to discover the etymological origin of the two main words that give it shape:
-Line, first of all, derives from Latin. Specifically, from the word “linea” which, in turn, comes from “linum”, which means “of linen”. A Latin word that comes from the Greek “linon”, which can be translated as “linen thread”.
-Poverty, secondly, derives from Latin. It is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language: the adjective “pauper, pauperis”, which means “poor”, and the suffix of patrimonial quality “-eza”.
The concept of line has different meanings. On this occasion we will focus on its meaning as a limit or term. Poverty , on the other hand, is the scarcity of resources or means.
The idea of the poverty line , in this framework, refers to the level of income that, in a given country, is needed to not be poor. Those who earn incomes below the poverty line are poor; those who achieve higher incomes, on the other hand, are not.
The poverty line, therefore, is a symbolic threshold . Citizens who are below this line do not have access to the economic resources essential to satisfy basic needs .
The determination of the poverty line is usually carried out based on official State statistics. Many times, however, the figures are distorted, so individuals who fall above the line remain poor in practice.
In addition to all of the above, we must not overlook that the World Bank periodically updates the international poverty line. This needs to be carried out given that the differences in the cost of living that exist in different countries on the planet are evolving.
Suppose that , in a country If a family group has an income of 3,500 pesos , for example, it will be located below the poverty line. This means that the money is not enough to live with dignity.
It is common that, in addition to a poverty line, an indigence line is established. This is how we differentiate between subjects who cannot cover their total basic needs (the poor) and those who cannot even feed themselves (the indigent).
In Spain, for example, we can establish that it has been established that people who live alone and earn less than 8,871 euros per year are below the poverty line. Likewise, households with two adults and two children that have a yearly income of less than 18,629 euros are also below.
In Argentina, on the other hand, the latest data indicate that 35.5% of the country's population is below the aforementioned poverty line.