A Look at Poverty in the Developing Countries of Asia

Correspondence address: East-West Center, Research Program Population and Health Studies 1601 East-West Road Honolulu, HI 96848-1601, USA Telephone: (808) 944-7482 Fax: (808) 944-7490 E-mail: [email protected] Internet site: www.ewc.hawaii.edu developing economies of East and Southeast Asia, increasing financial hardship for the poor. Although South Asia did not suffer to the same extent from the crisis, large increases in population in that region have resulted in steadily growing numbers of people living in poverty. In absolute terms, there are more people with incomes below the poverty line in Asia today than there were in 1995. Among developing countries in the region, the percentage of the total population living in poverty is also higher today than it was five years ago. Poverty can be measured in terms of income and also in terms of social indicators such as literacy, life expectancy, and nutritional status. At the 12th Workshop on Asian Economic Outlook, held in Manila in November 1999, James C. Knowles, a consultant economist, presented an assessment of poverty in the developing countries of Asia based both on income and social indicators. This issue of Asia-Pacific Population & Policy summarizes a few of Dr. Knowles’s observations.