An update to the World Bank’s estimates of consumption poverty in the developing world
The World Bank has been regularly monitoring the progress of developing countries against absolute poverty. Drawing on data and expertise from all regions, the Bank’s researchers have just completed their latest update covering the period 1981-2008, with preliminary estimates (on a smaller sample) for 2010. The latest estimates draw on over 850 household surveys for almost 130 developing countries, representing 90% of the population of the developing world. The surveys are mostly produced by national statistics offices. Results for 2005 and 2008 are based on interviews with 1.23 million randomly sampled households. However, survey coverage tends to be poorer in the 1980s and in some regions even today.