The Southern Sudan Centre for Census, Statistics, and Evaluation (SSCCSE – yes its a bit of a tongue-twister, but still probably easier to say and remember than the SSFFAMC), released yesterday the results of the first ever nationally representative household survey in Southern Sudan.
The headline to note is that “poverty” is considerably lower than previously estimated. In 2005 somebody licked their finger and stuck it in the air, and decided that probably about 90% of the population was living below a poverty line of $1 a day. This figure then got quoted and repeated in the opening paragraph of every report written since. Back to the drawing-board guys.
The new poverty line (based on a basic calorific intake plus a bit of non-food consumption) is SDG 73 per month – roughly a dollar a day at official market exchange rates (but a bit less at actual unofficial market exchange rates).
50% of the population falls below this poverty line.
Average consumption is SDG 100 per month.
More to come as soon as I can find an online version I can link to.
And does anyone at SSCCSE want to comment?
