Poverty gains ‘precarious’
Cambodia’s poverty rate fell dramatically between 2004 and 2011 – from more than 50 per cent to roughly 20 – but those gains are so precarious that a slight economic shock could send millions plunging back below the poverty line, according to a World Bank study released yesterday. Though the number of people living in poverty – which the World Bank defined in its study as not being able to afford a basic basket of goods costing 5,326 riel per day – went from 6.8 million in 2004 to just three million in 2011, the loss of even a couple thousand riel per day would threaten the financial stability of most Cambodians. “The average household in 2004 is comparable to the poorest household in 2011,” notes the World Bank study, which a spokesman for the international development institution said was based on the most recent accurate data available. … The report credits a number of factors with the drastic reduction in poverty, including improved infrastructure and minimum wages for garment workers, though Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, speaking at the report’s release, credited “the strong and firm commitment of the Royal Government of Cambodia”. …
Stuart White
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/poverty-gains-%E2%80%98precarious%E2%80%99
