GAP IN POPULATION INCOMES REMAINS GREAT PROBLEM FOR ARMENIA

ARKA
April 2, 2008

YEREVAN, April 2. /ARKA/. Unequal income of population remains a
great problem for Armenia, the economic and social review of Asia and
Pacific region for 2008. The study was conducted by the UN Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The number of people below the poverty line was 34% in Armenia in
2005 against 55% in 1998 with the Jeannie coefficient being 33.8 in
2003 against 44.42 in 1996, says the review.

ESCAP was founded in 1997 and has 48 members and 10 associated members
representing almost 60% of the world’s population.

Armenian Government approved poverty reduction strategy for 2003-2015
on August 8 2003. The strategy is currently under review.

According to the reviewed draft version of the program the poverty
level is to be brought down to 6% in Armenia by 2021 with the extreme
poverty to be completely eliminated by 2017.

According to the recent data for 2006, the extreme poverty rate was
4.1% in Armenia.