Over 26 million Chinese people are still in abject poverty in rural areas and 22 million urban residents live below poverty line.  

Civil Affairs Minister Li Xueju said this on Tuesday.

According to Chinese official statistics, the population in abject poverty was reduced from 250 million to 26 million between 1978 and 2004. The ratio of the very poor among the rural population has been reduced from 30.7 percent to 3.1 percent.

China, the country with the most people in the world, has set its poverty line at an annual per-capita income of 668 yuan or US$81.

According to the minister, there are still another 49.77 million rural people with an annual per-capita income of less than 924 yuan or US$112. 

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2005)