Over 1.9 million households still struggle with poverty: ministry

By VNA February 2, 2023 | 02:32 am PT

Poor people stand in line to receive charity meals in Hanoi, November 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Phu

Vietnam still has more than 1.97 million poor and near-poor households, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs in 2022.

The survey showed that the overall national poverty ratio was 7.52%, with 4.03% being poor households and 3.49% being near-poor families.

The highest poverty ratio based on the multi-dimensional poverty standards was in the northern midland and mountainous region, at 21.92%, followed by the Central Highlands at 15.39%, the north-central and central coastal region at 10.04%, the Mekong Delta region at 5.73%, the Red River Delta region at 2.45%, and the southeast region, 0.34%.

The northern midland and mountainous region led in both ratios of poor and near-poor households (14.23% and 7.69%, respectively), while the southeast region reported the lowest ratios at 0.21% and 0.13%, respectively.

The data of the survey serve a foundation for the ministry to decide poverty reduction and social welfare policies as well as other socio-economic policies in 2023.

Under a government decree on the new multi-dimensional poverty standards for the 2021-2025 period, the income-based poverty threshold for poor households is raised from VND700,000 (US$29.85) per person per month in rural areas, applicable in the 2016-2020 period, to VND1.5 million per person per month.

In urban areas, the threshold is VND2 million per person per month, compared with VND900,000 in the previous term.