85% of households in South Lebanon do not earn enough

According to a recent PhD thesis on poverty in the South and Nabatyeh prepared by Fatmeh Ezzedine, a social sciences student at the Lebanese University, 95% of households in the region are unable to save whilst 85% report that their income is not sufficient to cover their needs. The study uses a purposeful sample of 1000 households from the two districts which have a combined total population of 623043 inhabitants, representing 16.6% of the total population of Lebanon.  The study sample includes families with monthly income averaging LBP 900,000. The researcher used a detailed questionnaire consisting of 115 questions which look at various poverty-related indicators and aimed at drawing a panorama of poverty in the region, of its main indicators, exploring the relation between poverty and absence of development in Lebanon, and finally the social, financial, moral and psychological impact of poverty on household members.  According to the results of the study, 52.9% of the sample work in agriculture or as fishmongers, 36.2% of the heads of households have more than one occupation, the average income of the sample is LBP 897,000 per month and the unemployment rate is 18%.  Furthermore, the study indicated that 15% of the households have working children, 23% have a monthly income of less than LBP 500,000 and that the average economic activity rate in South Lebanon is 44.6%. (As Safir, 28 April 2015)