82 Million Chinese Live on $1 per Day

Over 82 million of China’s residents are surviving on a daily income of $1 despite China's meteoric economic growth and rising export volumes, the Strait Time reports.

“The poverty-stricken population not only suffer from low income but also face various difficulties in getting drinking water, roads, electricity, education, medical care and loans,” said aChinese official Zheng Wenkai, cited by South China Morning Post.

According to the news source, poverty remains a ever present burden for most of the Chinese population. China's rural residents average 2,300 yuan ($368) a year or about $1 a day.

China’s economic boom has not only resulted in the emergence of private wealth and the middle class, but also has contributed to a widening gap between the rich and poor. The situation in rural areas is especially critical as villagers can get their income only from home-grown supplies and agricultural activities. Incomes of city-dwellers are reported to be three times higher than those of people living in the countryside, as the website of the Borgen project says. Rural areas are also often affected by natural disasters and lack access to electricity, water and healthcare facilities, also having negative impact on its residents’ wealth.

Thus, despite China’s status of the second-largest economy in the world, the Chinese population suffers from poverty and significant income disparities.

The country’s GDP reached only $6,767 in 2013, less than 13 per cent of that of the United States, the Global Times reports.
Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_15/82-Million-Chinese-Live-on-1-per-Day-4531/
15/10/14
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