To browse Academia. This report examines social relations of urban poverty in Maputo, Mozambique, as part of a series aimed at supporting the government's efforts to reduce absolute poverty. Despite significant economic growth and a slight decline in poverty rates, the report highlights remaining challenges, including low literacy and life expectancy rates.
It emphasizes the importance of understanding social dynamics and coping strategies within urban communities to inform effective poverty reduction policies. The analysis shows that strong growth in household income has caused poverty to decline rapidly most broad groups-the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and in urban as well as in rural areas.
Improvements were recorded in both monetary and non-monetary poverty measures. One key factor in ensuring broad-based growth was that inequality did not change significantly so poverty reduction could be broad-based. But despite good progress, more than 50 percent of the population still lives in poverty.
Lifting this group out of poverty will require continued broad-based growth and further expansion of social services. The Africa Region Working Paper Series expedites dissemination of applied research and policy studies with potential for improving economic performance and social conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa. The series publishes papers at preliminary stages to stimulate timely discussions within the Region and among client countries, donors, and the policy research community.
The editorial board for the series consists of representatives from professional families appointed by the Region's Sector Directors. Poverty in Mozambique is predominantly a rural phenomenon and is pervasive, with over two-thirds of the population falling below the poverty line. The degree of regional variation of poverty within the country is striking. Poverty levels are highest in Sofala, Tete, and Inhambane Provinces, where over 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, and lowest in Maputo City although, with a headcount of 48 percent, poverty is still high in the capital city.
