The World Bank and the Tajikistan government have been jointly collecting, analysing and reporting high-quality poverty data
.jpg "The chart shows poverty trends in Tajikistan calculated by TajStat using the new method and Household Budget Survey data. (Credit: The World Bank)")
The chart shows poverty trends in Tajikistan calculated by TajStat using the new method and Household Budget Survey data. (Credit: The World Bank)
Tajikistan has launched a new approach to measure poverty, marking a significant milestone in the country’s ability to monitor poverty-reduction efforts, a World Bank report says.
The National Poverty Measurement Methodology was endorsed in April by Tajikistan’s Council for Poverty and Middle Class Measurement (Poverty Council) under the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.
The new approach is based on international practices and was developed in partnership with the World Bank Group and with financial support from the UK’s Department for International Development.
“The new methodology will help us measure and report on the welfare of the population on a quarterly basis, which, in turn, will enable poverty-trend tracking and inform important policy decisions,” said Qiyomuddin Norov, Deputy Director of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan (TajStat). “The new method calculates poverty using the quarterly Household Budget Survey, which has been in continuous operation and improvement since 2009.”
The collaboration
The World Bank and the Tajikistan government have been jointly collecting, analysing and reporting high-quality poverty data. Trainings, study tours, and conferences were organised to strengthen the capacity of TajStat and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Now, TajStat has been equipped to measure poverty independently by using this new approach. The methodology is a critical step in the design and monitoring of Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy for 2016-2030 and Mid-Term Development Strategy for 2016-2020. It will help the government collect comprehensive and reliable household data and to report on poverty trends on a regular basis, the report adds.
The national poverty rate in Tajikistan dropped from 37.4 per cent to 32 per cent between 2012 and 2014. The extreme poverty rate (measured by food poverty line at 2,250 Kcal per person a day) dropped from 20 per cent in 2012 to 16.8 per cent in 2014.
The World Bank will continue to work with TajStat to improve management of the Household Budget Survey in the country.
