The paper begins with a brief section on the roots of poverty in Algeria in order to highlight the poverty burden inherited at the dawn of independence in 1962. Economic policies and reforms undertaken in Algeria are quickly reviewed in order to understand their implications on the welfare of the population. Social policies and poverty alleviation strategies applied in Algeria as a response to the growth collapse and declining of oil rents are analysed in a separate section. The economic and social performance is subsequently analysed. After a brief review of poverty measurement methods, the question of poverty is then addressed by measuring all the relevant indicators and a detailed poverty profile is then established. The paper presents new poverty levels and studies its dynamics between different sectors. Elements of poverty alleviation strategy are then presented, and the future of poverty is assessed.