Half of Afghans suffer from multidimensional poverty: gov’t

Kabul, April 1: More than half Afghans about 30 million population are multidimensional poor as the poverty-stricken country struggles with militancy, high rate of unemployment and war in decades, said a statement released by the government on Sunday.
“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan launched its first Afghanistan Multidimensional Poverty Index (A-MPI), shows that just over half – 51.7 per cent – of people in Afghanistan are multidimensionally poor – they are deprived of health, education, living standards, employment and have faced negative shocks in production, income and security,” the statement said. 
The level of multidimensional poverty, according to the statement, ranges from a low of 12 per cent in Kabul to a high of 81 per cent in Badghis province. 
“The Afghanistan Multidimensional Poverty Index complements the monetary poverty measure and uncovers the deprivations experienced by the Afghan people in various aspects of their life,” Ahmad Jawad Rasuli, director general of National Statistic and Information Agency, told reporters. 
“It will also be instrumental in developing effective poverty reduction policies, informed budget allocation, policy coordination and integrated policies,” the official said. 
According to the statement, 58 per cent of all multidimensional poor people in Afghanistan are children under 18. 
Nearly six out of 10 children live in multidimensional poverty, and children under 10 are the worst affected by poverty, the statement noted. 
The statement also highlights that multidimensional poverty is three times higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and it is the highest among the kuchi (nomadic) population and households where the head has no education. 
One of the most crucial factors determining the level of poverty of children is the education level of their parents. 
The statement came after the country has seen its rapidly deteriorating economy in recent years, in addition to the worsening security situation. Xinhua