Amman, Jordan — One-third of Iraqis live in poverty, according to a new study released under U.N. auspices Sunday, dire findings for a nation that enjoyed widespread prosperity less than three decades ago.
The report, produced by a division of the Iraqi government and the United Nations Development Program, examined access to, and the quality of, a variety of basic needs, including water, electricity, sanitation, health care, housing, roads and employment.
It found that by 2004, Iraqi living standards had deteriorated considerably compared with the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the area of access to, and quality of, water, electricity and sanitation, as well as employment, income and asset ownership. Damaged or dangerous housing conditions and educational access and quality also were found to be significant areas of deprivation.
A subtext to the report is how much the eroding conditions are contributing to Iraq's civil war. Although the report made no official findings on the subject, a top U.N. official in Amman said Sunday that poverty and deprivation offer "a very fertile ground to recruitment" for militant activity.
"When you are jobless, when you don't have electricity and water, you become more vulnerable to being recruited by extremist groups," Paolo Lembo, the director of the U.N. Development Program in Iraq, said in an interview. "My personal opinion is, yes, it is a contributing factor."
The survey was based on data collected in 2004 as part of a survey of Iraqi living conditions, conducted by a division of Iraq's Ministry for Planning and Development and the United Nations. In addition to the third of Iraqis living in poverty, it found that 5 percent of the population was living in extreme poverty.
Although the data is 3 years old, and does not capture the continued deterioration in living standards since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, human-rights officials say the report is useful because it is the first comprehensive study of poverty and deprivation in Iraq of its kind, and creates a baseline for future examinations.
Although living standards began to decline under the decades-long leadership of Saddam Hussein, through two wars and crippling economic sanctions that followed, the report also takes direct aim at economic policies been put in place in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The policies, which reflect U.S. free-market priorities, dismantled state-run enterprises that employed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and ended subsidies once received by individuals and families. They presented Iraqis with wrenching change, leading to high unemployment and frustration.
The report found Iraq's damaged infrastructure to be the single largest factor in creating poor living conditions. It found that 85 percent of households lacked a stable source of electricity, with weekly and even daily outages, cutting into other basic needs. Nearly 70 percent of households struggled with disposing of garbage, and more than 40 percent were deprived of healthy sanitation facilities.
Among health concerns, deprivation levels were seen as a factor in malnourishment.
Residents in the country's mostly Shiite south were found to suffer from the greatest amount of deprivation, while Baghdad and northern Iraq had the highest living standards. Deprivation levels were three times higher in rural areas than urban areas.
The report's authors urged officials in charge of Iraq's reconstruction to slow efforts to privatize the economy and better help residents cope with the change. "It's not a criticism to anyone, it's a reality we must address," Lembo said.
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ksmom (anonymous) says…
How many American's live in poverty?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"How many American's live in poverty?"
I think it's usually put at 10-12%. But I have a feeling if the American definition of poverty were applied on an absolute scale to Iraq, poverty there would now easily exceed 85% (85% don't have regular access to electricity,) considering this survey was done three years ago, and things are much, much worse now.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
I've got my definition, and you've got yours. And I'm sure yours includes the stipulation, "As long as I've got mine, screw you."
Mkh (anonymous) says…
This makes me wonder where those Billions and Billions of taxpayer dollars given to Contractors for "Iraqi Reconstruction" have gone.
I thought the most important point of the article was this:
"When you are jobless, when you don't have electricity and water, you become more vulnerable to being recruited by extremist groups," Paolo Lembo, the director of the U.N. Development Program in Iraq, said in an interview. "My personal opinion is, yes, it is a contributing factor."
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I think that about sums it up.
Kam_Fong_as_Chin_Ho (anonymous) says…
One-third in poverty is actually less than I expected; especially considering that Iraq wasn't exactly a prosperous nation to begin with. I imagine this number will decrease as US and allied troops continue to restore electricity and water that had been eliminated by insurgent attacks.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"One-third in poverty is actually less than I expected;"
Well, the definition of poverty is probably on a "third-world" scale, and this is actually a snapshot of 2004-- so it probably is much worse, because the fact is, US and allied forces have not done a very good job of restoring anything. Insurgent attacks are major part of that, but the massive corruption of BushCo's cronies who got the (mostly no-bid) reconstruction contracts are, too.