Rural-Urban Impacts of COVID-19 on Incomes and Food Consumption Were Surprisingly Similar

The Policy Research, Capacity and Influence Innovation Lab collected rural and urban level representative phone survey data from five African countries to analyze the income and consumption expenditures of the pandemic. Though some results were expected, some were surprising:

• Impacts of COVID-19 were highly correlated with the severity of restrictions.

• Negative income effects were 43%–63% smaller than predictions.

• Income and food consumption effects were mostly similar in rural and urban areas.

• Impacts were large enough to drive millions of households below poverty.

• Impacts of pandemic restrictions cut across locations and household characteristics.

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