Face of Poverty in Madagascar : Poverty, Gender, and Inequality Assessment

Madagascar has been entirely
unsuccessful in reducing the number of its people that are
poor, or extremely so, in the ten years since 2001, when
poverty was already at a very high level. This well-known
conclusion draws on the analysis of three successive rounds
of the national household expenditure surveys (enquete
periodiques aupres des menages, EPM) conducted by the
Madagascar National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) in
2001, 2005, and 2010. The objective of the analysis in this
report is to document the levels and changes in poverty in
Madagascar, and provide a detailed review of correlates of
poverty and inequality in various dimensions, including
gender, age, the structure of households, and place of
residence. The report is an assessment of past poverty
trends, and while policy implications are highlighted in
many cases, the report is focused mainly on the descriptive,
rather than prescriptive. It is found that the poverty
headcount did not decrease between 2001 and 2005, rising
instead from 71 to 75 percent of the population, rather than
the 68 percent estimated official headcount for 2005. The
methodology is described at length in the report and its annexes.