China: Strategies for Reducing Poverty in the 1990s

China FY93 PA
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Both as an accompaniment of overall economic growth and also through a strong commitment to improving standards of education, health and nutrition for all, China has compiled an impressive record in reducing absolute poverty over the last four decades. Perhaps the most telling indicator of the improvement in the overall well-being of the Chinese population is the increase in expectation of life at birth, which nearly doubled from 34 years in the early 1950s to 67 years at present. Other indicators of social development also document tremendous improvement. The crude death rate and infant mortality rate both declined by about three-quarters since the early 1950s, and illiteracy is estimated to have dropped from 80% of the adult population in the early 1950s to about 30% at present. Average per capita availability of food energy increased by nearly 40%, from about 90% of food requirements in the early 1950s to 115% by the late 1980s. These indicators of social development in China compare favorably with the estimates for India, Indonesia, Brazil, and the averages for other low and middle income countries.