WORLD IN BRIEF : LATIN AMERICA : 64% in Region Live in Poverty, U.N. Says

People in Latin America living at or below the poverty line grew to more than 64% of the population in the last two decades, the Chile-based U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported. The report estimated that last year 183 million people--44% of the population--lived in poverty, defined as having only enough for life’s basic needs. Another 88 million, more than 20% of the population, lived below the poverty line, meaning they did not have enough income to buy the minimum food for a basic diet.