Nepal’s poverty rate has declined to 25.2 percent in 2010/2011, according to a study.

The third Nepal Living Standards Survey released by World Bank (WB) and Central Bureau of Statistics on Thursday in the capital indicated that poverty is decreasing from 41.2 percent in the past survey for 1995-96 and 30.9 percent in the survey for 2003-04.

The survey has also identified urban hills (9 percent) and Kathmandu (11 percent) as the least percentage of poor population while highest population identified as poor live in the mountains (42 percent) and rural hills in the Mid and Far-West regions (37 percent).

Nepal has achieved two percent reduction in poverty per year from 1995 to 2010-11.

Saying that Nepal’s poverty line has been declining, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal Hisanobu Shishido said the government should play more effective role by adopting applicable policies to reduce poverty.

CBS said methodologies behind the survey and the poverty calculations followed globally-accepted approaches like the measurement of poverty by the number of people who are unable to purchase minimum basic needs which include both food that meets recommended energy requirement and non-food such as clothing and housing, according CBS.

CBS also said that the new poverty line takes into account changes in the food habits of the relatively poor who now consume more eggs, milk and meat, for example.

“Professional wage workers are least poor while agricultural wage laborers are poorest. Similarly, self employment in non-agricultural sectors have lower poverty, so does inactivity.” according to survey. nepalnews.com