Brasilia, November 16 (PL-RHC)-- Despite the economic difficulties, extreme poverty in Brazil fell from 7.6 percent in 2004 to 2.8 percent in 2014, which shows the positive results of social programs.

Data collected by the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) and published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) show that inequality has been reduced in this country, said Minister of Social Development Tereza Campello.

"When we look at the poorest 10 percent of the population, and we compare it to the richest 10 percent, we see that this growth was almost three times higher than in the wealthiest people", she said.

Campello highlighted that even in times of international crisis, the income of the Brazilian society had a real growth rate of 2.4 percent above inflation.

The poverty rate was most reduced among children under five years of age, because in 2004 poor children represented 14 percent and last year this rate fell to less than five percent.

In this case, the progress of the program Brazil without Poverty can be favorably assessed; the program seeks to end destitution and promote economic and social inclusion of people with incomes under 77 reais ($ 20 USD).

Brazil's poverty rate showed a downward trend, because in 2014 it reached 7.3 percent of the population, which represents a 70 percent drop compared to 2004.