The Living Line, and how it is measured
The Living LineThe poverty line measures income. The Living Line measures a life: food, water, shelter, energy, education, health and livelihood. Perfect Capita is the yearly cost, per person, of lifting everyone above the Living Line in all seven basic living standards. Coverage scores each standard strictly out of 100, and a nation is held at its weakest: Colombia at 18.7, by shelter, with education at 48.6 and livelihood at 63 next.
Perfect Nations estimate, to be confirmed with Colombia. Figures marked dated rest on surveys more than five years old; lenient measures are marked as such. The strict measures
Strict measures. Food: share not moderately or severely food insecure (FAO). Water: safely managed drinking water where measured; where it is not, basic water, marked as such. Shelter: the lower of safely managed sanitation and the share outside urban slums. Energy: the lower of electricity per person against 1,000 kWh and clean cooking. Education: the lower of children reading by the end of primary school and lower-secondary completion. Health: WHO service coverage index. Livelihood: share above the stricter of the national poverty line and the World Bank line for the nation’s income group. Each figure links to its source.