New Delhi, Sept. 15: Sikkim has shown the sharpest fall in poverty levels in the country between 2005 and 2012, latest Planning Commission figures have revealed.

The population below poverty line in the urban areas of Sikkim is lowest in the country and Sikkim is among the five best-performing states in terms of poverty reduction.

The data released last month show that in Sikkim, the BPL population came down from 30.9 per cent in 2004-05 to 8.19 per cent in 2011-12, a decline of 22 per cent.

The state’s BPL population was at 8.19 per cent, way below the national figure of 21.9 per cent.

Around 23,000 households in the state have been brought above the poverty line between 2005-12.

Sikkim is among the five best performing states in poverty reduction. The top five states are Goa (5.09), Kerala (7.05), Himachal Pradesh (8.06), Sikkim (8.19), Punjab (8.26) and Andhra Pradesh (9.20).

Sikkim has the lowest (3.66 per cent) urban population under poverty line in India.