According to ECLAC estimates, between 2002 and 2014 poverty and extreme poverty both fell considerably in the region: the poverty rate from 44.5% to 27.8%, and the extreme poverty rate from 11.2% to 7.8%, with the steepest fall occurring in the first half of that period. However, in 2015 and again in 2016 both rates rose, representing a setback that was especially severe in the case of extreme poverty. In turn, the extreme poverty rate will likely remain at the same level as in 2017, which would push up the numbers living in this situation by around 1 million. A range of procedures and assumptions are adopted for these measurements, which gives them the specificity necessary for use in the national context, but limits their comparability between countries.