'Bulawayo households least poverty-hit'

BULAWAYO Province has the least number of households living in poverty in the country, statistics reveal.

According to the Zimbabwe Poverty Atlas report for 2015 released recently by the Zimbabwe Statistical Agency (ZIMSTATS), poverty trends for individuals and households countrywide have been on the decline from 1995.

The report, which was compiled following a survey conducted in the country's 10 provinces, shows that Bulawayo has the least number of households in general and extreme poverty, at 35 percent and 3, 5 percent respectively.

According to the report, there are 60 000 poor households compared to 100 000 non-poor households in Bulawayo province.

"Ward 13 (Mabutweni, Pelandaba, Kelvin North) has the highest poverty prevalence of 43, 7 percent while Ward One (City Centre) has the lowest prevalence of 23, 4 percent," reads the report.

"Poverty prevalence was higher in old high density suburbs such as in Ward 13 and Makokoba (Ward 07)."

Harare Metropolitan province has the second least general and extreme poverty prevalence rates at household level of 35, 7 percent and 3,3 percent respectively.

Matabeleland North has the highest number of households in general and extreme poverty, at 82 per cent and 40 per cent respectively, followed by Mashonaland Central where 75 percent of its households are in general poverty and 22 percent in extreme poverty.

"Nkayi district in Matabeland North has the highest rural household poverty prevalence of 95,5 percent followed by Gweru rural in the Midlands province which has 91,8 percent," reads the report.

Matabeleland South province has the fourth highest poverty prevalence with general household poverty at 72 percent and extreme poverty at about 21,8 percent followed by Manicaland province with 70 percent general poverty and 18 percent in extreme poverty.

With general household poverty at 67 percent and extreme poverty at 17, 5 percent, Mashonaland East province has the sixth highest poverty prevalence followed by Midlands with 67 percent and 18,5 households in general and extreme poverty respectively.

Masvingo has 63,7 percent households in general poverty and 13.8 percent in extreme poverty to rank number eight out of the 10 provinces.

The data also shows that rural areas have high household poverty prevalence compared to urban areas. 76 percent and 22 percent of households are in extreme and general poverty in rural areas compared to 38 and four percent in urban areas.