A Good News for Bangladesh, Nepal and Rwanda !

Photo: World Bank Bangladesh

Bangladesh, Nepal,  and Rwanda are "star performers" in reducing the number of poor in their countries compared to larger economies such as India, according to an Oxford University study published on Monday.

All three could be on track to eradicate poverty in 20 years if they keep up their current rate of progress, the data showed.

The study, based on research in 22 countries, said the three nations had the strongest decreases in poverty as recorded by its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) which looks at various indicators including health, education and living standards.

"The success of Nepal and Bangladesh in reducing poverty despite their relatively low income highlights the effectiveness of social policy investments combined with active civil society engagement," said Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).

Researchers found Nepal's poor dropped to 44.2 percent of the population in 2011 from 64.7 percent in 2006 - that is 4.1 percentage points per year. While in Bangladesh, poverty rates decreased by 3.2 percentage points per year between 2004 and 2007 and Rwanda by 3.4 annually from 2005 to 2010.

"Countries managed to reduce multidimensional poverty through tackling a range of different deprivations, with no single formula for success emerging from the study," said an OPHI statement.

"Nepal did the best in areas like nutrition, child mortality, electricity, improved flooring and assets. Rwanda showed the biggest improvement in sanitation and water, and Bangladesh did best in improving sanitation and school attendance."

Source: Bangladesh, Nepal, Rwanda are star performers.