The absolute number of people living in poverty has not declined at the same rate as the poverty headcount as a result of strong population growth over this period (OECD, 2017(3]). The number of people living in poverty increased from 25.6 million in 1996 to 27.5 million in 2005 then declined to 21.0 million in 2016. Although the rural poverty rate is higher than in urban areas (25.6% versus 14.8% in 2015/16), rapid urbanisation means that the number of poor individuals in urban areas is likely to grow (OECD, 2017[3j).