A Derung woman, with traditional tattoos on face, from the formerly impoverished Dulongjiang township of Yunnan province, owns a smartphone now thanks to the internet access and a 4G network installed in recent years. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

KUNMING, Aug 4 — Southwest China's Yunnan Province reduced its poverty-stricken population from 8.04 million in 2012 to 1.79 million in 2018, according to the survey team of the National Bureau of Statistics in the province.

The comprehensive poverty headcount ratio of rural areas in Yunnan dropped from 21.7 percent in 2012 to 4.8 percent in 2018, according to the latest survey conducted by the team.

The per capita disposable income of rural residents in Yunnan's poverty-stricken areas increased from 4,749 yuan (about $684 dollars) in 2012 to 9,595 yuan in 2018, an average annual growth of 12.4 percent.

In 2018, the per capita consumption expenditure of rural residents in poor areas in Yunnan was 7,677 yuan, an increase of 3,915 yuan over 2012, an average annual increase of 12.6 percent, the survey said.

The progress was attributed to a string of poverty relief measures such as developing industries, relocating people from inhospitable areas and offering allowances to the poor, elderly and sick.

China has set 2020 as the target year to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society and eradicate poverty.