Poverty of China (Current situation of Poor)

10% of Chinese live in poverty

Around 48 million Chinese live below China's domestic poverty line, accounting for 3.7 % of the total population. Based on international standards, 135 million Chinese live below the general poverty line, or 10% of the population.  

The numbers come from the "Report of the Development of an Overall Well-off Society (2006)," China's first blue book to be published on building an overall well off society, Beijing Evening News reports.  

The report reveals there are 26 million needy people in China's countryside. Another 22 million living in cities subsist below minimum subsistence levels , or the poverty line. These 48 million people account for 3.7% of the total population in China.  

According to international standards, however, the needy refer to those whose personal daily expenses average below $1.  

The World Bank estimates about 135 million of Chinese live below the international poverty line. These people are the key group China should show concern for in building an overall well-off society.

Migrant workers earn monthly income of 120 dollars

Migrant laborers in Chinese cities earn an average of 966 yuan (US$120.75) per month, much more than the average farmer, but still very low compared to urban residents.  

The per capita monthly income for half of the migrant laborers is less than 800 yuan, with 19.67 percent below 500 yuan, according to a latest survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).  

Ten percent of the 29,425 migrant workers surveyed have a monthly income of 1,500 yuan.  

Migrant workers are mostly poor farmers who leave the countryside to find jobs in cities. There are more than 100 million migrant workers in China.  

The average income of Chinese farmers is about one fourth that of the urban residents earn.  

The shrinking of farmlands are producing a bigger army of migrant workers in the country and has caused many social troubles.  

The survey shows that jobs in east China are the most lucrative for migrant workers, who earn an average of 1090 yuan per month there, compared with 880 yuan and 835 yuan in the central and western regions.  

Migrant laborers spend an average of 463 yuan per month; 72 yuan on accommodation, 235 yuan on food and 47 yuan on recreation.  

To improve their professional skills, half of the respondents received vocational training , while 24.1 percent were self-taught.  

Of the 5,065 respondents who brought children with them to the cities, only 1.05 percent had seen their children drop out of school, and 49.2 percent had to pay an average registration fee of 1,226 yuan in addition to regular tuition fees.