Bangladesh reduced poverty from 40 percent to 31.5 percent between 2005 and 2010, according the new Household Income & Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2010. Progress can also be seen in other dimensions of development.
The HIES is a major source of socio-economic information at the household level in Bangladesh. It provides data on household expenditure, income, consumption, savings, housing conditions, education, employment, health, sanitation, water supply, electricity usage, etc.
Technical assistance from the World Bank helped Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics to release the new poverty numbers in a record time of five months. The HIES 2010 is marked by many first times. For the first time, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics used the internet for speedy data entry and processing at the field level. The survey also gathered information on four new areas: microcredit, disability, migration and remittance, and crisis management. The information will support Bangladesh in addressing the socio-economic differences in poverty levels.
Poverty estimates help determine the poverty profile of a country. They guide developing nations, like Bangladesh, during the formulation of their national strategies and are critical in monitoring the outcomes of the targets set in country strategies.
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