An individual is considered poor if deprived of at least 33% of these 15 variables, taking into account their relative weights. The indicator portrays the incidence, intensity, severity, and nature of deprivation. This poverty rate shrank by half, from 60% in 1997 to 29% in 2011 (Figure 1.1, Panel D), mainly thanks to wider health care coverage, increased school attendance among 6-16 year-olds, better access to early childhood services and reduced long-term unemployment. The rural/urban gap is higher for the multidimensional than the income approach, partly reflecting the critical lack of infrastructure (in particular water provision and sewage), low education achievement and the prevalence of informal employment in rural areas.