The reduction in the absolute number of the poor as the economy recovered from the Asian crisis was due mostly to a reduction in the number of rural poor. However, rural poverty remains significantly greater than urban poverty, both in absolute numbers and in percentage rates. If counted at the World Bank definition of absolute poverty at USD 1.25 at PPP/person/day, the rates are higher, but the decline remains equally impressive from 54% in 1990 to 19% in 2009.