The indigence rate in Panama increased by 1.5 percentage points, while the other countries with information available (the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Paraguay) did not register significant changes in their poverty and indigence rates (see figure 1.3). Panama is an exception, as despite the absence of significant changes in the poverty rate it registers an appreciable rise in the poverty gap squared index, revealing a worsening of the situation among the poorest. The poverty gap squared index also rose by slightly more than the poverty' rate in Mexico.