Rural poverty

Rural poverty is a type of poverty that is concentrated in rural areas. That is, areas far from the urban population. Rural poverty is a type of poverty that occurs very frequently in a large number of countries. It especially occurs in those countries that, for different reasons, have less industrial development and greater dependence on sectors that are part of the primary sector.

This type of poverty is a type of poverty that has been given great importance after the development of cities. This is because rural areas are left helpless in the face of the centralization of value-added activities in urban centers. Rural poverty tends to occur frequently in developing economies, such as Latin America.

Difference between rural poverty and urban poverty

In the same way that different types of poverty are shown that are in contrast, so are these two types. That is to say, urban poverty and rural poverty are precisely two opposite types of poverty. And these types of poverty present their main characteristic in the place where poverty is shown.

In this sense, urban poverty is poverty that occurs in urban areas or urban centers. This type of poverty tends to occur frequently throughout the planet, since all large urban centers have districts and geographic areas in which people with lower income levels are concentrated.

On the other hand, rural poverty is precisely the opposite. That is, it is the type of poverty found in rural areas. This is due to the poor development of rural areas, as well as the lack of infrastructure. Also, rural areas, being destined for tasks with little added value, have a lower level of income generation. Therefore, many people who live in rural areas have a lower standard of living than those in urban areas.

Causes of rural poverty

Among the main causes that cause this type of poverty we could highlight the following:

• Centralization of activities in urban centers.
• Lack of investment in rural areas.
• Urbanization.
• High unemployment in the country.
• Lack of infrastructure in rural areas.
• Concentration of capital in urban centers.
• Lack of opportunities in rural areas.

These, among others, are some of the causes that end up causing rural poverty.

Places most affected by rural poverty

Among the areas most affected by this type of poverty, the following geographical areas should be highlighted:

• Africa.
• Asia.
• Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Middle East.

These geographic areas, despite having urban centers, due to their emerging nature, present certain places with high levels of rural poverty.