YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2004 the poverty level in Armenia reduced by 38.3% compared with 1998-99 and made 34.6% and abject poverty by 70% and made 6.4%. These data were presented in the joint report of the World Bank (WB) and RA National Statistical Service under the title "Armenia's Social Picture and Poverty", the presentation of which took place on February 28. The report included the results of studies conducted in 2004 at 6816 home farms. As Diana Martirosova, Head of the Department on Home Farms Study of RA National Statistical Service, mentioned, poverty still remains a serious problem for Armenia as the number of poor people in the country reaches about a million, at that 200 thousand of them are abjectly poor. According to her, the highest poverty level was fixed in the Shirak region and the lowest in Vayots Dzor and Yerevan. It was mentioned that unequal character of distribution and realization of revenues between different layers of society was determined by the Gini coefficient (the higher this level is the more unequal is the degree of distribution and realization of revenues). Thus, in 2004 Gini coefficient in accordance with the revenues made 0.395 (against 0.597 in 1998-99) and in accordance with the realization 0.26 (against 0.301 in 1998-99). Nevertheless, in 2004 this index was the highest among the European and Central Asian countries. D.Martirosova said that a sum amounting to nearly 5.2 bln drams is necessary for liquidating abject poverty in Armenia and about 54.4 bln drams (nearly 120 mln USD) is required for poverty reduction in general. Roger Robinson, Director of WB Yerevan Office, mentioned that the report will enable to make poverty reduction process in Armenia more concrete.

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