LUSAKA, Oct 11, 2005 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Zambia's poverty level has declined from 73 percent to 68 percent over the last six years, the official Times of Zambia newspaper said Tuesday, quoting results from a survey done by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
Results from the Living Conditions Monitoring
Survey of 2004 show that poverty level now stands at 53 percent in urban
areas and 78 percent in rural areas.
CSO director Buleti Nsemukila said in a statement Monday that the overall incidence of extreme poverty reduced from 58 percent in 1998 to 53 percent in 2004.
Extreme poverty in rural areas reduced by more than 25 percent from 71 percent in 1998 to 53 percent in 2004, compared to a 5.6 percent decline in urban areas, he said.
The survey was conducted between October 2004 and January 2005.