East Asia and the Pacific has done well on meeting several of the MDGs, but progress has been uneven. 

In particular, the region has performed well in reducing poverty, making strides toward universal primary education and bridging the gender gap. China and Vietnam experienced the most dramatic fall in income poverty, with the proportion of the population below a $1 a day falling from 32 and 51 percent to 13 and 14 percent respectively during 1990-2002. 

Progress has been slower in health, however. While many countries are well on track for meeting the MDG targets, and some have already achieved them, others, especially low-income countries are lagging in several dimensions. Despite significant progress made in middle-income countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, based on the current trend the region is not on track to achieve the goal of reducing infant mortality rates by two thirds. In Cambodia, child mortality rose from 115 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 138 in 2002.