Poverty and Human Development Report 2009 - UNDP in Tanzania

pOVertY aND hUMaN DeVeLOpMeNt repOrt 2009
1991/92 to 2000/01, when the rate of poverty in dar es salaam fell considerably, from 28.1 to
17.6%. in that same period, the rate of poverty fell also, but by less; in other urban areas, the
poverty rate declined from 28.7 to 25.8%, while in rural areas, the poverty rate fell marginally
from 40.8% in 1991/92 and 39.7% in 2000/01 (figure 49).
poverty rates for rural households are more than twice the rates of dar es salaam, and since
almost three-quarters of the population resides in rural areas, poverty remains a predominantly
rural phenomenon. of the estimated 12.9 million poor people in Mainland tanzania, 10.7 million
or 83% of the total reside in rural areas.
Figure 49: Percentage of Households Living Below Basic Needs Poverty Line,
Mainland Tanzania, 1991/92 to 2007, by Area of Residence
% of Households
148
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
28.1
source: hBs 2007
Food Poverty
17.6
16.4
28.7
25.8
24.1
Dar es Salaam Other urban areas Rural areas Mainland Tanzania
Area of residence
40.8
38.7
1991/92 2000/01 2007
A clear indicator of extreme poverty is when a household has insufficient food to meet the
minimum caloric requirements of all household members. figure 50 shows information about
calories consumed by households, by wealth status, derived from hBs data on food consumed
by households and expressed in terms of adult equivalents. the figure illustrates that between
2000/01 and 2007 calorie intake increased, albeit very marginally for the poorest 40% of
households. results further indicate that about 25% of the population do not consume enough
calories to carry out light work, while 50% of the population do not consume sufficient calories
required for heavy work, such as farming and labouring. yet, it is the poorest households who
are most likely to be involved in physically strenuous activity and need greater calorie intake.
therefore, large numbers of people are unable to live up to their productive potential because of
inadequate caloric intake.
37.6
38.6
35.7
33.6