Publication: Measuring Rural Access: Update 2017/18
Date
2019-02-01
ISSN
Published
2019-02-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Transport connectivity is an essential
part of the enabling environment for inclusive and sustained
growth. In many developing countries, particularly in
Africa, most people are still not connected to local,
regional, or global markets. Such rural accessibility is
crucial to reduce poverty and promote inclusive economic
growth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to
build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation (Goal
9), for which Target 9.1 is to ‘develop quality, reliable,
sustainable and resilient infrastructure, to support
economic development and human well-being, with a focus on
affordable and equitable access for all.’ The Rural Access
Index (RAI) was proposed and accepted as an indicator to
measure this target. The RAI is one of the most important
global indicators in the transport sector. It measures the
proportion of people who have access to an all-season road
within an approximate walking distance of 2 kilometers (km).
There is a common understanding that the 2 km threshold is a
reasonable extent for people’s normal economic and social
purposes. The definition is also simple enough to understand
and use not only in the transport sector, but also in the
broader development context, such as poverty alleviation.
The initial RAI study in 2006 was based on household surveys
and other simplified methods, estimating the global index at
68.3 percent, leaving a rural population of about one
billion disconnected around the world.
Citation
“World Bank. 2019. Measuring Rural Access; Measuring Rural Access : Update 2017/18. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/32475 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”