Poverty in Peru thus stood at 20.7% by end-2016, down from a 21.8% rate in the previous year, INEI head Anibal Sanchez affirmed.
In 2016, the Inca nation's poverty levels declined both in rural and urban areas.
In the first case, poverty affected 43.8% of the rural population, a 1.4% reduction from 2015.
Higher poverty rates were recorded in rural highlands (47.8%), Amazonian (39.3%) and coastal (28.9%) areas.
"Whereas in the urban area, it [poverty] affected 13.9% of the population, down 0.6 percentage point from the previous year," Sanchez added.
Regions most affected by monetary poverty were Cajamarca and Huancavelica, with 43.8% and 50.9% rates, respectively.
Poverty threshold
In Peru, monetary poverty is measured by INEI considering a poverty line or minimum food basket.
Last year, the minimum food basket was valued at S/328 (about US$99.75) per person and S/1,312 (about US$399) for a family of four.
Thus, citizens who are unable to afford such basket fall into the poor category, the INEI head explained.
Remarks were made during the release of INEI's 2016 Monetary Poverty Figures in Peru report.
(END) CNA/JJN/DHT/MVB