Ethiopia released the Interim Report on Poverty for 2010-11 last week. The Household Income Consumption and Expenditure Survey for 2010-11 showed that the poverty head count in Ethiopia is 29.6%
The proportion of poor people as established by this survey showed a significant decline from 2004-05 when the index was 38.7%.
Poverty rate has decreased in both rural and urban areas, with a more marked decline in urban areas according to the data analysis.
The data showed that poverty in urban areas to be 25.7% and 30.4% in rural areas from 35.1% and 39.3% respectively in 2004-05.The report disclosed that the food poverty head count index was 33.6% in 2010-11 which is lower than the 38% registered in 2004-5. Food poverty was marked to be 27.9% in urban areas and 34.7% in rural areas.
The highest poverty head count index was registered in Afar Regional State (36.1%), Somali (32.8%) and Tigray (31.8%) while Harari, Addis Ababa and Diredawa had the lowest poverty estimates, at 11%, 28.1% and 28.3% respectively.
Meanwhile the highest food poverty was noted in Amhara Regional State, (42.5%), Tigray (37.1%), Benshangul Gumuz (35.1%). The lowest food poverty was observed in Harari (5%), Dire Dawa (21%), and Southern Regional State (25.9%).
It was disclosed that the HICE survey for 2010-11 was based on a representative sample size of 27,830 households.
Source: Capital
