The head count ratio (HCR) is the
population proportion that exists, or lives, below the
poverty threshold
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
. One of the undesirable features of the head count ratio is that it ignores the depth of
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
; if the poor become poorer, the head count index does not change. For example, the poverty head count ratio at national poverty line (percentage of population) in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
was last reported at 21.9% in 2011. In July 2012, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported the poverty head count ratio as 11.1% of the population of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1973, 15.2% in 1983 and 11.3% in 2000.
See also
*
Poverty gap index
The poverty gap index is a measure of the intensity of poverty. It is defined as the average poverty gap in the population as a proportion of the poverty line.
The poverty gap index is an improvement over the poverty measure head count ratio whic ...
References
{{Poverty-stub
Measurements and definitions of poverty
Social science indices