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Material poverty

Material poverty is a type of poverty that occurs when people who suffer from it do not have access to a series of material elements such as schooling, income, employment, among others. Material poverty is that poverty that usually occurs in those countries with a very low social exclusion index.


In this sense, said poverty is the absence of certain resources, without the need for their inability to access necessarily generate poverty. Therefore, this type of poverty, in the countries where it occurs, generates a higher rate of social discontent and, therefore, more violence. And the fact is that the inability to access certain resources leads citizens who suffer from it to commit crimes to obtain them. This type of poverty has much less drastic consequences than other existing types of poverty.

Causes of material poverty

Among the causes that can generate this type of poverty we could highlight the following:

  • High levels of unemployment in the country.
  • High levels of corruption.
  • Unequal distribution of resources.
  • High levels of inequality.
  • Low income levels.
  • Labor exploitation.
  • Armed conflicts.
  • Dictatorial systems.
  • Gender discrimination.
  • Difficult access to education.
  • Natural disasters.

Thus, these could be the main causes that generate material poverty in the different territories of the planet.

Consequences of material poverty

Therefore, once the causes are known, we can identify the consequences. In this sense, among the consequences of material poverty we can highlight the following:

  • Social exclusion.
  • High levels of crime.
  • Unsafety.
  • Corruption.
  • Informal economy.
  • Inequality.
  • Illiteracy.
  • Loss of quality of life.
  • Less development.
  • Lower economic growth.

Thus, the following consequences are some of the possible consequences that may be caused by this type of poverty.

Which countries have material poverty?

Material poverty, by its definition, is a type of poverty that usually occurs in economies with lower levels of social exclusion. In this sense, it usually occurs in developed and developing economies. That is, in economies that, as a rule, do not usually present high levels of poverty.


And this type of poverty is a type of poverty that generates less social exclusion than other types, despite the fact that it generates higher rates of violence. Therefore, it is a type of poverty that usually occurs in those economies that, as we said, show relatively low levels of poverty.