You will see poverty in Bali outside of urban areas. Undeveloped areas in West Bali, in particular, are rife with poverty. The rise of tourism has also contributed to a rising wealth gap between those who benefit from it and those who do not. The poverty rate in Bali is approximately 4 percent of the population.
In 82 of Bali’s 706 villages, the poverty rate is above 35 percent. In remote villages that are only an hour or two away from populated tourist-oriented areas, some villages lack education, access to clean water and even electricity. A number of charities, NGO’s, private organizations, and government agencies are providing increased support to impoverished areas.
Bali's Governor, I Made Mangku Pastika, has called tourism to Bali 'a disaster for the poor'. He has pledged to reduce the poverty rate to 1 percent of the population, saying that it is the government's role to address the social gap in the economy.
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