One in eight Bhutanese lives below the national poverty line earning just Nu. 1,704 per month, according to the Bhutan Poverty Assessment 2014. The Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay launched the report today.
The report says poverty is concentrated in rural areas with 17 percent of the people living in poverty being in rural areas. Only two percent live in urban centers.
According to the report, Dagana, Samtse, Lhuentse, Pema Gatshel and Zhemgang Dzongkhags have relatively higher rates of poverty.
The report aims to explain the main drivers of rapid poverty reduction in Bhutan. It also discusses the steps needed to be taken for sustained poverty reduction in Bhutan. The National Statistics Bureau prepared the report in collaboration with the World Bank.
