HEADLINE: RANGON- Poverty rates still high in Myanmar

The state counsellor said statistics show that the average poverty rate in the country is 20pc in rural areas and 9pc in urban areas.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said the words she heard from one person during her stop in Mawlamyine haunted her.

“A man said to me, ‘I’m starving.’ I was deeply saddened when I heard this. Even if it is only one person, it must be taken seriously. We have to ask ourselves how many other people are going hungry in the country,” she said

The state counsellor reminded people that it is crucial that both rural and urban areas be developed harmoniously for the overall good of the country, and that stability can only be achieved if states and regions grow equally in Myanmar as a union.

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“We are trying to achieve harmonious development of the country. It’s not easy though,” said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar was classified a “least developed country” (LDC) in 1987, during the rule of the Burma Socialist Programme Party, and remains so now.

According to the UN, least developed countries exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last year that Myanmar is expected to leave the LDC category after 2021, as the country has improved in terms of gross national income, and improved in the Human Access Index and Economic Vulnerability Index.