BBS halves per capita income

Dhaka, June 22 (bdnews24.com)?The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has halved the per capita income of the country after its recent survey on household expenditure revealed that in 2010 the yearly per capita income was Tk 30,636 or $418.

In contrast to BBS data, Bangladesh Economic Review showed per capita income for 2010-11 is at $818 or over Tk 57,000.

When asked about the incongruity, Statistics Division secretary Riti Ibrahim told bdnews24.com she did not know where the Bangladesh Economic Survey got the data.

"Only BBS conducts household income and expenditure survey and it found out that per capita monthly income is Tk 2,553 and if it multiplied by 12, one can get the yearly figure," she said.

The BBS recently completed its Household Income and Expenditure Survey for 2010 and found out that per capita income rose by 72 percent from 2005.

In 2005 the monthly per capita income was Tk 1,486.

The survey also revealed national poverty rates at 31.5 percent, a decline of 8.5 percentage points from 2005.

About 21 per cent of urban population are poor while the figure is 35.2 percent for rural areas.

Poverty rate is the highest in Barisal region with 39.4 percent while it is lowest in Chittagong at 26.2 percent.

Average per capita monthly consumption is Tk 2447 at national level, an increase of 99 percent from 2005.

bdnews24.com/ssz/bd/1439h

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