The Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS) was introduced in Armenia in 1996 and has been carried out annually since 2001 by the National Statistical Service. ILCS is conducted during the year with monthly rotation of households and settlements. The survey results serve primarily to assess the level of consumption-based poverty in Armenia.
In 2003 National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia took important steps to improve the Integrated Leaving Conditions Survey and bring the poverty measurement methodology up to date. With technical assistance from the World Bank provided through a series of consultations and hands-on training over the period September 2003 - November 2005, the following changes were made:
- the sample frame was updated using the 2001 Population Census data;
- the sample size was expanded, so as to make the ILSC representative at the regional (marz) level;
- the ILSC questionnaire was revised to account for economic and social changes since 1998-1999 and an extensive labor module was added to the survey;
- the staff involved in ILCS implementation was better trained.
The 2006 survey covered 29 urban and 112 rural areas with the sample size of 5,184 households.