To increase the attention paid to the poor in development policy and action, it is important to address conditions leading to poverty in rural areas. Over 80 percent of Bangladesh"s population lives in rural areas, where poverty is a very common preblem. The present study examines the poverty conditions in rural Bangladesh from 1974 to 1999. The study shows that the rate of poverty is c]early higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and also that poverty lines vary from region to region. The

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... resent study also addresses the various definitions and metrics of poverty. Without a definition of poverty apd appropriate measure, it is difficult to deterrnine the intensity of efforts needed to al]eviate poverty. Key Words IBangladesh, rural areas, poverty rate, poverty concept, poverty measure lntroduction Poverty has been a constant presence in human history, but its meaning has changed through time, Most people in traditional societies were poor, and this was accepted as natural and unavoidable. The current understanding,