Venidora Oliveira – Poverty rates in Timor-Leste have declined from 47.2% in 2007 to 30.3% in 2014, according to government data.

Deputy Minister of Finance Helder Lopes said the data was based on research conducted by the Ministry of Finance between April 2014 and April 2016, and involved 5916 households across the country.

He said the government conducted the assessment by going door-to-door to ask people about their living standards and ability to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, clothing and transport.

Other indicators used to identify whether poverty was declining in Timor were how many households had access to electricity and good sanitation, and whether all children in the family were attending school. Households with children under five were also assessed to determine if they were in the normal height and weight range.

In 2007, 36% of households had access to electricity, rising to 72% in 2014, 42% has access to good sanitation in 2007 rising to 60% in 2014, 58% of all children attending school in 2007 rising to 83% in 2014, 65% of children with normal weight under 5 years of age in 2007 rising to 84% in 2014 and 62% of the children with normal height in 2007 rising to 76% in 2014.

"This survey is important to measure the progress and efforts made by the government to reduce poverty and from the results we know that poverty is declining," Lopes said. He said the results also indicated how far Timor's development had progressed and which areas needed to be prioritized.

The research also showed that overall living standards in Timor-Leste had improved, with the number of people living below the poverty line decreasing from 50.4% in 2007 to 41.8% in 2014.

Meanwhile, National MP Albina Marcal called for regular studies to be conducted so the government could continue to monitor the progress. "It is good so that we can know about the development process and how much progress has been made and how many communities are the beneficiaries," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14160-poverty-rates-in-timor-leste-in-decline