LHASA — A total of 25 counties in Tibet autonomous region escaped poverty in 2018, the regional government said on Feb 6.

The counties are under the cities of Xigaze, Shannan, Nyingchi, Qamdo and Nagqu as well as Ngari prefecture, according to the regional poverty alleviation headquarters.

The region’s targeted poverty reduction has made decisive progress in 2018, the headquarters said in a statement.

With 2,100 villages and 181,000 residents out of poverty, Tibet’s poverty headcount ratio has dropped significantly, the statement said.

Thanks to anti-poverty efforts including development of featured industries, relocation of people to more habitable places, better social security and improved infrastructure, 55 counties in Tibet have so far got rid of poverty, official statistics showed.

The regional government has vowed to basically eliminate absolute poverty by the end of 2019.