UN: One-third of Iraqis live in poverty

A U.N. report cites the nation's damaged infrastructure and U.S. free-market policies. By Christian Berthelsen, Times Staff Writer. February 19, 2007

AMMAN, JORDAN — A third of Iraqis live in poverty, according to a study released under United Nations auspices Sunday, dire findings for a nation that enjoyed widespread prosperity less than three decades ago.

The report, produced by a division of the Iraqi government and the United Nations Development Program, examined access to, and the quality of, a wide range of basic needs. It found that by 2004, Iraqi living standards had deteriorated considerably compared with that of the 1970s and '80s, particularly in the areas of water, electricity, sanitation, jobs, income and assets. Damaged or dangerous housing conditions and educational access and quality were also found to be significant areas of deprivation.

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