has taken place. Little has changed in the relative importance of the agricultural, industrial and other sectors of Mozambique’s economy. Agriculture remains the most important sector by far, but is underdeveloped. As a result, the economic base remains fragile. Over half of its earnings are derived from aluminium exports, while aluminium prices – like those of many primary agricultural commodities – are extremely volatile. This reflects Mozambique’s high vulnerability to external shocks. Significantly, as megaprojects generate limited spillover effects for the rest of the economy, but contribute relatively little to job creation and tax revenue, achieving broad-based growth remains a major challenge. 2.4.2 High Levels of Poverty 149. Mozambique has experienced one of the most dramatic reductions in poverty in the world in recent decades. Based on a national poverty line, income poverty fell from 69.4 per cent of the population in 1997 to 54.1 per cent in 2003. Measures of the depth and severity of poverty declined even more. Nevertheless, Mozambique is still one of the poorest countries in the world, as 54 per cent of its population find themselves living below the national poverty line. Moreover, the country’s efforts at reducing poverty have had uneven results across the regions. In particular, poverty rates have increased in Maputo city and Maputo province. The high poverty level and its associated regional imbalances pose the danger of social polarisation. The challenge is to ensure that benefits brought about by growth and stability can raise the living standards of the vast majority. 2.4.3 Rising Inequality 150. Related to the issue of poverty is rising income inequality, which presents in many forms. Regional asymmetries continue to be a constraint in the balanced distribution of benefits resulting from socioeconomic development. Thus, urban districts present greater opportunities than rural districts in terms of access to services. The southern region presents higher indices of service provision compared with the central and northern regions of the country, albeit with interprovincial and interdistrict disparities within each region. 151. The pattern of regional imbalance left by the Portuguese colonial administration persists to date. PARPA II takes note of the regional imbalance in the provision of public services, with the southern region being more endowed than other regions and hence fostering inequality. This inequality exists in the provision of services in the education sector and healthcare sector, and has spurred rural-urban migration. As a result, there is polarisation on a social, economic and political basis. 152. For instance, access to credit, distribution of the banking system and information and communication technology (ICT) display great asymmetries. For 77