Living conditions score

Variable Definition

Captures factors related to poverty and general living conditions. This score includes three variables: (1) the percentage of household with piped water inside the dwelling as a marker of living conditions; (2) the percentage of households with overcrowding (defined as more than 3 people per room, excluding kitchen and bathroom); and (3) the percentage of population aged 15-17 attending school. The latter variable is included because low school attendance among adolescents has been linked to poverty and early participation in the labor market, as well as exclusion from productive systems. The score was created by summing the Z-scores for each component variable. Z-scores were created based on the distributions of all cities (L1AD) or all sub-cities (L2). For the construction of the score, we reverse coded the overcrowding indicator so higher score values signify better living conditions and lower poverty levels.