Between 1995 and 2002, poverty levels in Belize, as indicated in the Country Poverty Assessments (CPAs), remained constant at about 33 per cent (%) of the population. However, the level of indigence had declined slightly by approximately 2.6%. The pattern and distribution of poverty had also changed, aggravated in part by the challenging global economic environment resulting in unemployment, low incomes of a large segment of the labour force categorized as the “working poor”, and the rising influx of refugee populations from Central America.