This study uses Sri Lanka’s 2006/7 Household Income and Expenditure Survey to
construct an easy-to-use scorecard that estimates the likelihood that a household has
expenditure below a given poverty line. The scorecard uses ten simple indicators that
field workers can quickly collect and verify. Poverty scores can be computed on paper in
the field in five to ten minutes. The scorecard’s accuracy and precision are reported for
a range of poverty lines. The poverty scorecard is a practical way for pro-poor programs
in Sri Lanka to monitor poverty rates, track changes in poverty rates over time, and
target services.