More than 68 million people have been lifted out of poverty over the past five years, including a total of 8.3 million relocated from "inhospitable areas", and the poverty headcount ratio has dropped from 10.2 to 3.1 percent, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.[Special coverage]
Reviewing government work during the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), Li said personal income has increased by an annual average of 7.4 percent, outpacing economic growth and creating the world's largest middle-income group.
People's life expectancy in China has reached 76.7 years, according to Li, social old-age pension schemes now cover more than 900 million people, and basic health insurance plans cover 1.35 billion people, forming the largest social safety net in the world.
"We have raised subsistence allowances, benefits for entitled groups, and other allowances, and improved the social assistance system, ensuring the livelihoods of close to 60 million people on subsistence allowances or living in extreme poverty," he said.
The premier made the remarks during his annual government work report to lawmakers during the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th NPC, China's national legislature, which is being held in Beijing from March 5 to 20.
