Only 3% of Chinese are rural poor

Claiming major success in poverty alleviation efforts, China said on Wednesday 67.34 million rural people, more than the population of France, were lifted from poverty in the last decade bringing down the percentage of rural poverty from 10.2 to 2.8%.

Claiming major success in poverty alleviation efforts, China said on Wednesday 67.34 million rural people, more than the population of France, were lifted from poverty in the last decade bringing down the percentage of rural poverty from 10.2 to 2.8%.

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China's poor rural population fell from 94.22 million at the end of 2000 to 26.88 million at the end of 2010, an equivalent to lifting the entire population of France out of poverty in the past decade a white paper on white paper on China's poverty alleviation said on Wednesday.

The current 26.88 million impoverished Chinese people are equal to the entire population of Texas, the second most populous province of the United States, it said.

In terms of percentage the proportion of poor people in China's rural population decreased from 10.2% in 2000 to 2.8% in 2010.

The Chinese government defines those who earn less than 1,274 yuan (about $200) in income a year as "poor people" after it raised the national poverty line for rural residents from 865 yuan in 2000 to 1,274 yuan in 2010.