TAIPEI: The number of low-income households in Taiwan hit a record high of 102,759 or 249,834 people in September, which represents an increase of 13.5 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively.

The internal affairs authorities, which released the statistics, attributed the increases to the global financial crisis. It said the economic downturn has driven up the unemployment rate, which then prompted the government to lower Taiwan's threshold for poverty.

By administrative districts, Taipei City led the pack with 16,047 households and 39,501 people considered low income, followed by Taipei County with 12,758 households and 31,368 people, and Kaohsiung City with 9,219 households and 21,968 people.

The cities ranked in the same order during the same period last year, according to government statistics.

Taiwan's Social Assistance Act defines low-income households as those whose total income divided by the number of individual members in the household is lower than the minimum cost of living.

The minimum cost of living is defined by the government as 60 percent of the most recent average monthly consumption expenditure per capita.

By this criterion, Taipei had the highest minimum cost of living in 2009 at NT$14,558 ($451) per month. That figure indicates the 35,501 people who are considered low-income in Taipei survive on around $15 a day.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 12/09/2009 page2)