The report says that in thirty years, Asia's impoverished population has dropped from 1.5 billion people to only about 260 million today. Professor Li Xiaoyun, who is in charge of compiling the report, said Asia’s poverty rate below 2 percent now greatly contributes to global development. The countries that have seen big drops in poverty rates are marked by their political stability. Asia's best performers in this regard are China, Vietnam, and Cambodia.