The number of poor people in West Sulawesi Province in September 2012 was 160.6 thousand people, which increased by about 100 people compared to the poor population in March 2012 which amounted to 160.5 thousand.
The percentage of poor people decreased by 0.23 percent, from 13.24 percent in March 2012 to 13.01 percent in September 2012.
During the period March - September 2012, the percentage of poor people in urban and rural areas fell 0.09 percent and 0.25 percent respectively. However, in absolute terms the poor population in urban areas increased by around 900 people, while rural areas decreased by around 800 people.
The role of food commodities on the poverty line is far greater than the role of non-food commodities (housing, clothing, education, and health). In September 2012, the contribution of the Food Poverty Line to the Poverty Line amounted to 80.90 percent, not much different from March 2012 which amounted to 80.91 percent.
Food commodities that have a major influence on the value of the Poverty Line in urban areas are rice, filter clove cigarettes, and cobs / tuna / skipjack. Similarly, the commodities that have a major influence on the value of the Poverty Line in rural areas are rice, filter clove cigarettes, and cobs / tuna / skipjack.
Non-food commodities that have a big influence on the value of the Poverty Line both urban and rural are housing.
In the March-September 2012 period, the Poverty Depth Index (P1) and the Poverty Severity Index (P2) showed a downward trend. This indicates that the average expenditure of the poor tends to get closer to the Poverty Line and the inequality of expenditure of the poor is also narrowing.
