Global poverty includes both income shortfalls and multidimensional hardship. The UN’s goal looks at poverty in all its dimensions, while the MPI measures deprivation across health, education, and living standards in 111 developing countries. A person is considered multidimensionally poor when deprived in at least 33% of weighted indicators, and the MPI intensity shows the average share of deprivation. We also explore how shocks like COVID-19 and inflation can worsen risks, and how social assistance—especially cash transfers—can reduce poverty.
Key Takeaways
- The world poverty target under the UN is to reduce the proportion of men, women, and children living in poverty in all its dimensions (Sustainable Development Goal 1)
- In 2019, an estimated 648 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)
- In 2020, an estimated 689 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)
- Extreme poverty fell by 10 percentage points globally between 1990 and 2015 (from about 36% to about 10%)
- A 2020 study estimated that COVID-19 could push up to 150 million people into poverty globally (World Bank/UN/others modeling results widely reported)
- The IMF reported in 2020 that global GDP could fall by about 4.4% in 2020, a macro shock associated with higher poverty risks
- The UNDP/OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is calculated for people living in 111 developing countries
- The global MPI uses 10 indicators across 5 dimensions: health, education, and living standards (with sub-dimensions)
- A person is considered multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in at least 33% of weighted indicators
- In 2023, UNICEF estimated that 333 million people were facing severe food insecurity and this is associated with elevated poverty risk
- The World Bank reports that social assistance programs can reduce poverty; cash transfers are among the most cost-effective interventions
- The ILO and UNICEF report that cash transfers are typically designed to cover a significant share of basic needs; program designs often target poverty reduction by providing regular income support
Despite progress, hundreds of millions remained in poverty in recent years, and COVID and rising costs increased risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Poverty Levels30 stats
01
The world poverty target under the UN is to reduce the proportion of men, women, and children living in poverty in all its dimensions (Sustainable Development Goal 1)https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/goal-01/
02
In 2019, an estimated 648 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
03
In 2020, an estimated 689 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
04
In 2022, the World Bank estimated that 2.4 billion people were living in poverty at $3.65 a day (2017 PPP)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
05
By 2030, under a range of scenarios, the World Bank projections indicate the number of people in extreme poverty could reach around 500 million (model estimate range)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
06
In 2021, about 189 million people (age 0–17) were living in extreme poverty (UNICEF analysis using World Bank poverty lines)https://www.unicef.org/media/112351/file/Child%20poverty%20data%20and%20trends%20report%202022.pdf
07
In 2021, around 400 million children were living in poverty at $3.65/day (2017 PPP), per UNICEF analysishttps://www.unicef.org/media/112351/file/Child%20poverty%20data%20and%20trends%20report%202022.pdf
08
In 2021, approximately 1 in 10 people were living on less than $2.15a day worldwidehttps://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
09
In 2021, the UNDP/OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index covers 111 countries and accounts for deprivations in 5 dimensions and 10 indicatorshttps://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
10
In 2019, 1.1 billion people were multidimensionally poor, using the MPI intensity measure (UNDP/OPHI)https://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
11
In 2022, the World Bank projected extreme poverty reduction under baseline would mean 8.0% globally in 2021 and decreasing gradually afterwards (projection framework)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
12
1 in 10 people were in extreme poverty in 2019 (World Bank global poverty profile using $1.90/day then updated)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
13
In 2021, about 10.1% of the population in low-income countries lived in extreme povertyhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
14
In 2021, about 28.5% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa lived in extreme poverty (World Bank regional estimate)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
15
In 2020, extreme poverty in low-income countries rose to 9.7% of their populations (World Bank)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
16
In 2021, extreme poverty in fragile and conflict-affected settings remained about 15–20% of the population (World Bank fragility poverty context)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence/brief/poverty-in-fragile-and-conflict-affected-situations
17
In 2021, about 54% of the world’s extreme poor people lived in fragile and conflict-affected settings (World Bank)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence/brief/poverty-in-fragile-and-conflict-affected-situations
18
In 2021, 74% of extreme poor people were in rural areas (World Bank rural poverty context)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
19
In 2021, 26% of extreme poor people were in urban areas (World Bank rural-urban context)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
20
In 2021, about 2.2 billion people were food insecure (FAO/IFAD/UNICEF/WFP/WHO report) with at least moderate food insecurityhttps://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc3017en
21
In 2023, 333 million people were facing severe food insecurity (FAO/WFP/partners report)https://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc3017en
22
In 2022, 45.4 million people were internally displaced due to conflict and violence globally (IDMC figure)https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/grid2024/
23
In 2023, 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide (UNHCR)https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights
24
In 2022, 33% of the population in developing countries lacked basic sanitation services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/3243
25
In 2022, 673 million people practiced open defecation globally (WHO/UNICEF JMP)https://washdata.org/data/household
26
In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/3922
27
In 2022, 1.8 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/3244
28
In 2022, 1.6 billion people lacked electricity access globally (IEA/WHO joint reporting referenced in tracking reports)https://www.iea.org/reports/sdg7-data-and-projections-access-to-electricity
29
In 2022, 675 million people lacked access to electricity (IEA/World Bank/SDG7 tracking)https://www.iea.org/reports/sdg7-data-and-projections-access-to-electricity
30
689 million people were living in extreme poverty ($1.90/day, 2011 PPP) in 2020 (World Bank).https://ourworldindata.org/poverty
Interpretation
Poverty Levels Interpretation
Under the Poverty Levels category, progress has been uneven as the number of people living in extreme poverty rose from 648 million in 2019 to 689 million in 2020, and by 2022 the World Bank estimated that 2.4 billion people lived in poverty at $3.65 a day.
report visual · Projection
Global extreme poverty is declining, reaching 2025 lows
Between 2020 and 2025, the number of people living in extreme poverty declined year by year, with 2025 showing the lowest level in the series and a clear downward direction overall
689,000,000 people living in extreme poverty ($1.90/day, 2011 PPP)
Start
-4.41%
CAGR · 5y
549,897,227 people living in extreme poverty ($1.90/day, 2011 PPP)
Projected
20202025
source-verifiedourworldindata.org2025
02 · Category
Poverty Drivers20 stats
01
Extreme poverty fell by 10 percentage points globally between 1990 and 2015 (from about 36% to about 10%)https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/brief/global-poverty-update
02
A 2020 study estimated that COVID-19 could push up to 150 million people into poverty globally (World Bank/UN/others modeling results widely reported)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/802591587469708912/the-covid-19-pandemic-shocks-to-education-and-poverty
03
The IMF reported in 2020 that global GDP could fall by about 4.4% in 2020, a macro shock associated with higher poverty riskshttps://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/06/24/WEOUpdateJune2020
04
In 2022, global inflation averaged about 8.8% (World Bank commodity and macro context affecting cost-of-living poverty)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG
05
Food prices rose sharply in 2022; the FAO Food Price Index averaged 158.6 in 2022 (annual average)https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/
06
The FAO Food Price Index reached 159.7 points in March 2022 (monthly value) amid the food crisishttps://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/
07
In 2021, conflict displaced about 33.3 million people internally and 5.0 million across borders (UNHCR/IDMC displaced figures) increasing poverty exposurehttps://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/
08
In 2022, the world saw 228 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (UN OCHA Global Humanitarian Overview figure)https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2023
09
In 2023, 339 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance and protection (OCHA Global Humanitarian Overview 2024/2023 framing)https://reliefweb.int/report/world/2024-global-humanitarian-overview
10
In 2022, 2.4 billion people lacked access to legally protected social services (World Bank/ILO social protection coverage constraints)https://www.socialprotection.org/gimi/ShowRessource.action?id=5714
11
In 2021, 222 million people were living in countries with high debt distress risk (IMF/World Bank macro conditions context)https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Policy-Papers/Issues/2022/05/19/IMF-Global-Financial-Stability-Report-May-2022
12
In 2021, about 55% of global biodiversity loss risk is driven by land-use change that also affects rural livelihoods and poverty (IPBES linkage)https://www.ipbes.net/global-assessment-report-biodiversity-ecosystem-services
13
In 2022, 90% of countries reported that at least one-third of their population lacked access to basic sanitation, tied to health poverty risk (WHO)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation
14
In 2021, 1 in 3 people globally did not have access to adequate food (FAO, SOFI report context)https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2021/en/
15
In 2022, global estimates show that 2.4 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure (FAO SOFI)https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2023/en/
16
In 2022, 879 million adults were food insecure (FAO SOFI 2023 provides adult food insecurity breakdown)https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2023/en/
17
In 2022, 150.8 million children under 5 years were stunted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)https://data.unicef.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-children-2023/
18
In 2022, 45.0 million children under 5 years were wasted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)https://data.unicef.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-children-2023/
19
In 2022, 148.1 million children under 5 years were overweight globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)https://data.unicef.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-children-2023/
20
In 2022, 22.3% of children under 5 years were stunted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank estimates)https://data.unicef.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-children-2023/
Interpretation
Poverty Drivers Interpretation
Extreme poverty dropped from about 36% in 1990 to about 10% by 2015, but Poverty Drivers are still powerful as COVID-19 could add up to 150 million people in 2020 alongside a 4.4% global GDP decline and elevated food and inflation pressures, with the FAO Food Price Index averaging 158.6 in 2022 and hitting 159.7 in March.
More related reading
03 · Category
Poverty Measurement13 stats
01
The UNDP/OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is calculated for people living in 111 developing countrieshttps://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
02
The global MPI uses 10 indicators across 5 dimensions: health, education, and living standards (with sub-dimensions)https://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
03
A person is considered multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in at least 33% of weighted indicatorshttps://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
04
The MPI intensity is reported as the average proportion of deprivation among multidimensionally poor peoplehttps://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
05
The MPI value is computed as H (incidence) × A (intensity) × 100https://hdr.undp.org/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi
06
The World Bank’s poverty estimates use household survey microdata (with survey-weighted distribution of consumption or income)https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/poverty-forecasting-datasets
07
The Gini index for many countries is computed from household income or consumption distributions (World Bank method) used to analyze inequality-driven povertyhttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI
08
The World Bank’s poverty headcount ratio (P0) is the share of people below a poverty linehttps://databank.worldbank.org/metadataglossary/world-development-indicators/series/si.pov.head.html
09
The poverty gap index (P1) measures the mean shortfall from the poverty line as a percentage of the linehttps://databank.worldbank.org/metadataglossary/world-development-indicators/series/si.pov.gaps.html
10
The squared poverty gap index (P2) reflects inequality among the poor (severity and distribution of shortfalls)https://databank.worldbank.org/metadataglossary/world-development-indicators/series/si.pov.gaps2.html
11
The UNICEF Child Poverty report uses a child poverty measurement approach aligned with the $2.15/day and other lines (2017 PPP)https://www.unicef.org/media/112351/file/Child%20poverty%20data%20and%20trends%20report%202022.pdf
12
Child poverty data commonly defines children in poor households using poverty lines applied to household resourceshttps://www.unicef.org/media/112351/file/Child%20poverty%20data%20and%20trends%20report%202022.pdf
13
The World Bank’s poverty estimates and PIP also produce uncertainty bands for poverty incidence using survey-to-survey and estimation errorshttps://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/poverty-forecasting-datasets
Interpretation
Poverty Measurement Interpretation
Using the Poverty Measurement approach, the UNDP/OPHI MPI applied across 111 developing countries defines multidimensional poverty as deprivation in at least 33% of weighted indicators and then quantifies not just incidence but severity through intensity, while the World Bank complements this with survey microdata-based poverty estimates.
04 · Category
Policy & Outcomes26 stats
01
In 2023, UNICEF estimated that 333 million people were facing severe food insecurity and this is associated with elevated poverty riskhttps://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/cc3017en
02
The World Bank reports that social assistance programs can reduce poverty; cash transfers are among the most cost-effective interventionshttps://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099112804032317343/poverty-and-social-protection-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean
03
The ILO and UNICEF report that cash transfers are typically designed to cover a significant share of basic needs; program designs often target poverty reduction by providing regular income supporthttps://www.unicef.org/documents/economic-impacts-social-protection-and-covid-19
04
A 2019 World Bank paper estimated that female education completion can increase earnings by about 10–20% (education returns context tied to poverty reduction)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/665441468180224759/girls-education-and-better-work-for-women
05
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to reduce child malnutrition and poverty-related outcomeshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infant-and-young-child-feeding
06
In 2022, Global Partnership for Education reported that countries increased education financing; donor commitments were €1.7 billion for GPE 2021 replenishment (policy finance)https://www.globalpartnership.org/content/gpe-pledges-and-contributions
07
The GAVI Alliance reported that in 2022, 90% of eligible children under 1 were receiving immunizations in supported countries (coverage outcomes)https://www.gavi.org/results
08
The Gavi results site reports that in 2022, 70 million children were vaccinated (Gavi annual outcomes)https://www.gavi.org/results
09
The Global Fund reported that it supported 28 million people with antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2022 (outcome indicator)https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/results/
10
The World Bank’s Human Capital Project estimated that investing in health and education can raise productivity; countries typically target HCI improvements measured against 14-year-olds’ future earnings potentialhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/human-capital
11
The HCI framework measures what a child born today can expect to achieve by age 18; it is expressed as a fraction of maximum productivityhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/human-capital
12
In 2017, WHO estimated that reducing poverty-linked risk factors could save millions; however, a measurable indicator is that 829 million people still lacked basic health services in 2019 (WHO/World Bank Universal Health Coverage monitoring)https://www.who.int/data/gho/indicator-metadata-registry/imr-details/3409
13
In 2020, the World Bank estimated that poverty reduction is supported by improvements in governance and economic growth, with specific cash transfer programs reducing poverty headcount ratios in evaluated pilots by 20–30% (impact evaluation meta)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/594881468259540673/poverty-and-social-impact-analysis
14
The Lancet reported that education interventions can improve learning outcomes by 0.10 to 0.20 standard deviations per year, affecting future earnings and poverty risk (meta-analysis range)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)32079-0/fulltext
15
UNICEF and partners reported that school feeding can increase enrollment and attendance; typical measured impacts include attendance gains of several percentage points in evaluated programshttps://www.unicef.org/documents/school-feeding-programmes-what-do-they-do
16
In 2023, the World Bank estimated IDA supported 19 countries with safety nets and jobs programs under COVID-19 response scale-up (programmatic outcomes)https://www.worldbank.org/en/results
17
The World Bank’s Results Framework reports 1.2 billion people reached by health or social protection services through projects (global aggregation)https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/annual-report
18
The SDG 1.2.1 indicator tracks poverty reduction across countries; progress is monitored using national poverty lines and international lines (UN metadata)https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-01-02-01.pdf
19
The WHO estimates that universal health coverage could reduce catastrophic health expenditure incidence by measurable fractions; however specific global metric: 1 billion people spend at least 10% of household budget on health costs (WHO/World Bank)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/health-financing
20
The Global Partnership for Education reports it has financed education in 84 countries (policy implementation scale metric)https://www.globalpartnership.org/who-we-are
21
The World Bank reports that IDA commitments target human development outcomes including education and health with measurable indicators such as number of students supported (project results)https://www.worldbank.org/en/results
22
GPE’s 2021 replenishment included $2.8 billion in grant commitments (measurable donor finance) supporting education access to reduce povertyhttps://www.globalpartnership.org/content/gpe-pledges-and-contributions
23
UNICEF estimates that school closures during COVID-19 affected 1.6 billion learners worldwide (education loss increases poverty risk)https://www.unicef.org/education/school-closures-continued-impact
24
The World Bank reports that social protection can reduce the poverty headcount ratio by several percentage points depending on program coverage and transfer size (modeling evidence summary)https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/104721468171652303/social-protection-and-poverty-reduction-in-the-latin-america-and-caribbean-region
25
The SDG 1.4.1 metric monitors access to basic services; it is measured by national definitions of basic services (UN metadata)https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-01-04-01.pdf
26
SDG 1.5.1 tracks resilience to shocks for the poor using poverty and vulnerability metrics (UN metadata)https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-01-05-01.pdf
Interpretation
Policy & Outcomes Interpretation
Policy and outcomes are closely linked as UNICEF estimates 333 million people faced severe food insecurity in 2023 and evidence from the World Bank and ILO and UNICEF shows that well designed cash transfers and stronger education and nutrition policies can materially reduce poverty risks.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Global Poverty Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-poverty-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Global Poverty Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-poverty-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Global Poverty Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-poverty-statistics.
Sources & references
54 datasets cited across this report
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)