REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: SOCIAL PROTECTION PREFERENCE STUDY

1. BACKGROUND

Lesotho remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, and almost half of the population of Lesotho is poor (49.7 percent), living below the national poverty line set at Lesotho Maloti 648.88 per adult per month. Almost one quarter (24.1 percent) is extremely poor, living below the food poverty line. Poverty is marked by a strong rural and urban divide, with the overall and extreme poverty rate declining most in urban areas. Overall, 80 percent of Lesotho's poor and 84 percent of its extreme poor live in rural areas, while government services in rural areas are less readily available.

Poverty is also more present among households and individuals with certain demographic and household characteristics. Larger households, households with a higher dependency ratio, households where the household head has a lower educational attainment, female-headed households, households that experience the death of a household head, and households reliant on agriculture or without employment have a greater likelihood to live in poverty. Lesotho is also increasingly affected by shocks and emergency situations and the ability of households to cope with shocks varies by their level of poverty and the vulnerabilities that they face.