War on poverty continues in 2019

2019-02-22
chinadaily.com.cn

China has lifted 82.39 million rural poor out of poverty over the past six years, and its poverty rate — the proportion of people living below the poverty line — dropped from 10.2 to 1.7 percent in the same period, recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

According to NBS, the population living below the current poverty line in the rural areas was 16.6 million by the end of last year, down 13.86 million from the previous year, and the poverty rate in 2018 was also down 1.4 percentage points from 2017.

Last year, per-capita disposable income of rural residents in poverty-stricken areas reached 10,371 yuan ($1541.63), a 994-yuan addition compared with the previous year and an actual growth of 8.3 percent after deducting price factors. The growth rate was 1.7 percentage points higher than the average for rural areas across the country.

“No 1 central document”, released on Feb 19, said agriculture, rural areas and farmer’s issues remain top priorities for the country, Xinhua reported.

The country is aiming to lift all rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty and eliminate poverty in all poor counties and regions by 2020.

In an analysis, NBS said the main means to increase revenue for rural residents in poverty-stricken area goes to wage and transfer payments. Data showed in 2018 the wage income for each rural resident in poverty-stricken areas was 3,627 yuan, up 13 percent from a year earlier; net income from transfer payments on average was 2,719 yuan, up 17 percent year-on-year.