World Bank Document

rural areas and among the bottom 40 percent improved during 2006-10.  For example, access 

to tap water and fixed telephone lines almost doubled, while access to piped gas increased by 50 

percent. The bottom 40 percent of the population also saw larger gains compared to the top 60 

percent. 

 

16. 

Based on summary data provided by the authorities, growth over the past decade 

appears to have been broadly inclusive. However, these summary statistics are difficult to 

interpret without access to the underlying micro data since, for example, they imply that household 

incomes grew much faster than GDP. The gini coefficient is officially reported to have declined 

from 0.39 in 2001 to 0.30 in 2012. Considerable geographic disparities remain and the poorest 

oblasts (Karakalpakstan, Namangan, Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Djizzakh, and Khorezm) are 

those with largely rural populations and low population densities (Figure 3). Female poverty tends 

to be higher, particularly in rural areas, where access to formal employment remains limited. 

 

17. 

Access to household survey data would be essential to understand whether and how