in brazil peru and uruguay data for urban areas the poverty rate fell by at least three percentage points in costa rica and paraguay it declined by more than two points and in the bolivarian republic of venezuela and panama it dropped by around one percentage point only in mexico did the situation worsen as the poverty rate rose by percentage points between and reflecting the first effects of the economic crisis that began late in see figure for their part the bolivarian republic of venezuela the dominican republic ecuador mexico and panama posted increases of between and percentage points while costa rica and uruguay recorded slight increases in colombia indigence increased by percentage points between and which is the equivalent of a point annual increase because eclac has not finished processing the new surveys the data for have been preliminarily estimated by applying the percentage variations implied in the figures officially published by the country for as estimated by eclac all countries in the region reported poverty rates that for the first time were lower than those of