A Comparative Study of Welfare Conditions in Iranian Urban and Rural Households

Different levels of households’ welfare have produced many socio-economic consequences. Various factors underlie the differences in welfare among households. One of these factors is the place of residence. In order to compare the welfare between rural and urban areas, we used the data from the 2001 socio economic census. These variables were studied to examine the household welfare: nutrition, expenditure, housing, housing facilities, ownership of durable goods, and insurance situation. The results indicated that urban households have a much better situation than rural households concerning all welfare indicators. From all the variables that affect household welfare the most important ones include: low financial situation, norms prevalent in rural households such as the importance of present time with respect to future time, livelihood strategies, and type of occupation. Considering the rural-urban gap, some recommendations were made to improve the welfare of rural households.