A Simple Poverty Scorecard for Malawi

This study uses Malawi’s 2004/5 Integrated Household Survey to construct an easy-to use scorecard that estimates the likelihood that a household has expenditure below a given poverty line. The scorecard uses ten simple indicators that field workers can  quickly collect and verify. Poverty scores can be computed on paper in the field in about five to ten minutes. The scorecard’s accuracy and precision are reported for a range of poverty lines. The poverty scorecard is a practical way for pro-poor programs in Malawi to estimate poverty rates, track changes in poverty rates over time, and target services.

[Author's Abstract]