Table 4 presents a summary of the sampling design for each of the eight countries in South Asia. With few exceptions, household-level surveys used to measure poverty in the region are nationally representative. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India do not survey all regions within the borders of their respective countries. In 2011–2012, Afghanistan excluded the provinces of Helmand and Khost from the survey for poverty measurement.6 These two provinces had an estimated population of 864,600 (Helmand) and 537,800 (Khost) in 2012 (Government of Afghanistan, Central Statistics Organization 2017). The total population of Afghanistan in 2012 was about 24.8 million, so these two provinces combined represented around 5.7% of the population. Bangladesh did not traditionally include the slum population as part of the sampling frame for the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) until 2016–2017. According to the 2012 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Slum Areas and Floating Population, the slum population was about 2.22 million, which corresponds to 5.5% of the total population in urban areas (Government of Bangladesh, Bureau of Statistics 2012).7 The 68th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) from India excluded from its sampling frame the remote areas of Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The population of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 0.38 million, while that of Nagaland is 1.98 million. Given that India had a population of 1,247 million in 2011, the share of the total population excluded from the survey was just 0.2%.
Summary of Sampling Designs in Household-Level Surveys Used to Measure Poverty
| . | Afghanistan . | Bangladesh . | Bhutan . | India . | Maldives . | Nepal . | Pakistan . | Sri Lanka . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationally representative? | Yesa | Yesb | Yesc | Nod | Yese | Yesf | Yesg | Yes |
| Sampling frame | Precensus household listing, conducted between 2003 and 2005 | Population and Housing Census (2001) | Population and Housing Census (2005) | Rural: Indian Census Villages (2001); Urban: Urban Frame Survey | Population and Housing Census (2006) | National Population Census (2000) | Urban: FBS’ urban frame (2003). Rural: Population Census (1998) | Census of Population and Housing (2011) |
| Response rate | 89% | na | Urban: 92% Rural: 97%c | na | 90%e | 97%f | na | 81%h |
| Rural household sample size | 86.5% | 59.0% | 48.5% | 59.0% | 64.3%i | 79.1% | 60.5% | 77.4%j |
| 20,828 | 12,240 | 8,968 | 101,662 | 1,832 | 7,180 | 16,341 | 20,540 | |
| Sampling ratio | 0.64 | 0.04 | 7.01 | 0.04 | 3.71 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.40 |
| Individual sample size | 159,224 | 55,580 | 39,825 | 464,960 | 11,588 | 34,815 | 108,933 | 80,534 |
| Reference period (survey) | Apr 2011–Aug 2012(1) | Feb 2010–Jan 2011b | 2012c | Jul 2011–Jun 2012d | Sep 2009–Sep 2010e | 2010f | Jul 2010–Jun 2011g | Jul 2012–Jun 2013h |
| . | Afghanistan . | Bangladesh . | Bhutan . | India . | Maldives . | Nepal . | Pakistan . | Sri Lanka . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationally representative? | Yesa | Yesb | Yesc | Nod | Yese | Yesf | Yesg | Yes |
| Sampling frame | Precensus household listing, conducted between 2003 and 2005 | Population and Housing Census (2001) | Population and Housing Census (2005) | Rural: Indian Census Villages (2001); Urban: Urban Frame Survey | Population and Housing Census (2006) | National Population Census (2000) | Urban: FBS’ urban frame (2003). Rural: Population Census (1998) | Census of Population and Housing (2011) |
| Response rate | 89% | na | Urban: 92% Rural: 97%c | na | 90%e | 97%f | na | 81%h |
| Rural household sample size | 86.5% | 59.0% | 48.5% | 59.0% | 64.3%i | 79.1% | 60.5% | 77.4%j |
| 20,828 | 12,240 | 8,968 | 101,662 | 1,832 | 7,180 | 16,341 | 20,540 | |
| Sampling ratio | 0.64 | 0.04 | 7.01 | 0.04 | 3.71 | 0.12 | 0.08 | 0.40 |
| Individual sample size | 159,224 | 55,580 | 39,825 | 464,960 | 11,588 | 34,815 | 108,933 | 80,534 |
| Reference period (survey) | Apr 2011–Aug 2012(1) | Feb 2010–Jan 2011b | 2012c | Jul 2011–Jun 2012d | Sep 2009–Sep 2010e | 2010f | Jul 2010–Jun 2011g | Jul 2012–Jun 2013h |
FBS = Federal Bureau of Statistics, na = not available.
aNational Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 2011–2012, Afghanistan Living Conditions Survey Report. Helmand and Khost provinces were excluded from consumption information.
bStatistical Division of the Ministry of Planning, 2011 Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditures Survey: Key Findings and Report.
cAsian Development Bank, 2013 Bhutan Living Standard Survey 2012 Report.
dAll States and Union Territories except Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the remote areas of Nagaland. Indian Central Statistical Office: Note on Sample Design and Estimation Procedure of the National Sample Survey 68th Round.
eMalè: Sep. 2009–Jan. 2010; Atolls: Feb. 2010–Sep. 2010. Department of National Planning 2012, Household Income and Expenditures Survey 2009–2010.
fCentral Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Nepal Living Standard Survey: Highlights.
gStatistic Division of the Government of Pakistan, Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Report.
hSri Lanka Department of Census and Statistics, 2015 Household Income and Expenditures Survey.
iAtolls are considered rural areas.
jThere is an additional 5% in the estate sector, which consists of tea plantations.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on South Asia Harmonized Micro Dataset (accessed September 15, 2017).