Blog Rural China
By frog Shanghai - August 4, 2009
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2008 the rural population in China — those who live outside of major and small urban areas — numbered 721.35 million. That's over half of China’s population. Their average net income is RMB 4761 per year (roughly equal to USD $700) with a growth rate of 8.0 percent compared to last year. The poverty rate is 5.54 percent. 38.2 percent of the rural population finishes doesn't make it past elementary school.
