The forthcoming World Bank Poverty Assessment, outlined by the Bank in Beijing on Friday, says more than 60 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty in three years from 2001 to 2004.
The report, which is still incomplete, gave both special mention to Chinas poverty reduction achievement and the countrys expanding income gap problem.
– Chinas development experience and contribution to global poverty reduction have been unprecedented (uden fortilfælde), and the Bank is keen to learn how this experience can be shared with other countries, World Bank Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams said in Beijing.
According to the Banks calculations, Chinas poverty rate, based on the one dollar per day consumption line, declined from 16 percent of the population in 2001 to 10 percent in 2004, which means more than 60 million people out of poverty.
By World Bank standards, the country has lifted approximately 500 million people out of poverty since 1980. The Banks figures show that between 1990 and 2002, the latest year for which global poverty numbers are available, China reduced the size of its poverty-stricken population by 200 million. This represents more than 90 percent of global poverty reduction.
Chinas rapid economic growth has been an important driver of poverty alleviation. However, not everybody has benefited equally from the growth. Incomes of poor groups have risen less than those of higher-income groups.
Furthermore, findings of the study suggest that earnings of those at the very bottom of the income distribution ladder experienced a slight decline between 2001 and 2003.
Since China joined the WTO, its exports have grown at an average rate of 29 percent per year. Part of that is an adjustment to a more open system.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
