Poverty dips by 15 percent in 8 years: Key facts you need to know

Latest data released by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has shown poverty levels across the country has reduced by 15 percent between 2004-05 and 2011-12.

Data accessed exclusively by The Hindu has further shown that the percentage of those living below the poverty line in rural India registered a faster decline than those living in urban India.

Here is what you need to know about the latest figures:

* NSSO data has shown that the percentage of India’s population living below the poverty line (BPL) has reduced from 37 percent in 2004-05 to 22 percent in 2011-12.

* Between the year 2005 and 2010, the poverty rate in the country registered an average annual decline of 1.48 percent.

* During this period, poverty in rural India reduced from 32.58 crore to 21.72 crore, registering a faster decline than that in urban India.

* Poverty decline was the steepest in Bihar, which saw poverty reduce from 55 percent in 2004-05 to around 35 percent in 2011-12. States such as Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan also saw a steep decline.

* In Gujarat, the population below poverty line declined by around 15 percent. The state had 31 percent of its population below the poverty line in 2004-05, and 16 percent in 2011-12.

According to the data accessed by The Hindu , the total number of people below the poverty line in the country is 26.89 crore as against 40.73 crore in 2004-05. In rural India, the number has reduced from 32.58 crore to 21.72 crore.

You can read the report published in the 17 July edition of The Hindu here .