In 2019, an estimated 648 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day, and this post breaks down the latest global poverty trends to show how those numbers vary by age, region, and multidimensional deprivation.
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
In 2022, 2.4 billion people lived in poverty, and even deeper reductions by 2030 remain uncertain.
Poverty Levels
1The 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)[1]
Verified2In 2019, an estimated 648 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)[2]
Verified3In 2020, an estimated 689 million people lived under the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (2011 PPP) (World Bank estimates)[2]
Verified4In 2022, the World Bank estimated that 2.4 billion people were living in poverty at $3.65 a day (2017 PPP)[2]
Directional5By 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)[2]
Single source6In 2021, about 189 million people (age 0–17) were living in extreme poverty (UNICEF analysis using World Bank poverty lines)[3]
Verified7In 2021, around 400 million children were living in poverty at $3.65/day (2017 PPP), per UNICEF analysis[3]
Verified8In 2021, approximately 1 in 10 people were living on less than $2.15 a day worldwide[2]
Verified9In 2021, the UNDP/OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index covers 111 countries and accounts for deprivations in 5 dimensions and 10 indicators[4]
Directional10In 2019, 1.1 billion people were multidimensionally poor, using the MPI intensity measure (UNDP/OPHI)[4]
Single source11In 2022, the World Bank projected extreme poverty reduction under baseline would mean 8.0% globally in 2021 and decreasing gradually afterwards (projection framework)[2]
Verified121 in 10 people were in extreme poverty in 2019 (World Bank global poverty profile using $1.90/day then updated)[2]
Verified13In 2021, about 10.1% of the population in low-income countries lived in extreme poverty[2]
Verified14In 2021, about 28.5% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa lived in extreme poverty (World Bank regional estimate)[2]
Directional15In 2020, extreme poverty in low-income countries rose to 9.7% of their populations (World Bank)[2]
Single source16In 2021, extreme poverty in fragile and conflict-affected settings remained about 15–20% of the population (World Bank fragility poverty context)[5]
Verified17In 2021, about 54% of the world’s extreme poor people lived in fragile and conflict-affected settings (World Bank)[5]
Verified18In 2021, 74% of extreme poor people were in rural areas (World Bank rural poverty context)[2]
Verified19In 2021, 26% of extreme poor people were in urban areas (World Bank rural-urban context)[2]
Directional20In 2021, about 2.2 billion people were food insecure (FAO/IFAD/UNICEF/WFP/WHO report) with at least moderate food insecurity[6]
Single source21In 2023, 333 million people were facing severe food insecurity (FAO/WFP/partners report)[6]
Verified22In 2022, 45.4 million people were internally displaced due to conflict and violence globally (IDMC figure)[7]
Verified23In 2023, 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide (UNHCR)[8]
Verified24In 2022, 33% of the population in developing countries lacked basic sanitation services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)[9]
Directional25In 2022, 673 million people practiced open defecation globally (WHO/UNICEF JMP)[10]
Single source26In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)[11]
Verified27In 2022, 1.8 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)[12]
Verified28In 2022, 1.6 billion people lacked electricity access globally (IEA/WHO joint reporting referenced in tracking reports)[13]
Verified29In 2022, 675 million people lacked access to electricity (IEA/World Bank/SDG7 tracking)[13]
DirectionalPoverty Levels Interpretation
Despite efforts, extreme poverty and its overlapping deprivations remain widespread, with 689 million people living under $1.90 a day in 2020 and about 2.2 billion people lacking safely managed drinking water and 1.8 billion lacking safely managed sanitation in 2022.
Poverty Drivers
1Extreme poverty fell by 10 percentage points globally between 1990 and 2015 (from about 36% to about 10%)[2]
Verified2A 2020 study estimated that COVID-19 could push up to 150 million people into poverty globally (World Bank/UN/others modeling results widely reported)[14]
Verified3The IMF reported in 2020 that global GDP could fall by about 4.4% in 2020, a macro shock associated with higher poverty risks[15]
Verified4In 2022, global inflation averaged about 8.8% (World Bank commodity and macro context affecting cost-of-living poverty)[16]
Directional5Food prices rose sharply in 2022; the FAO Food Price Index averaged 158.6 in 2022 (annual average)[17]
Single source6The FAO Food Price Index reached 159.7 points in March 2022 (monthly value) amid the food crisis[17]
Verified7In 2021, conflict displaced about 33.3 million people internally and 5.0 million across borders (UNHCR/IDMC displaced figures) increasing poverty exposure[18]
Verified8In 2022, the world saw 228 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (UN OCHA Global Humanitarian Overview figure)[19]
Verified9In 2023, 339 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance and protection (OCHA Global Humanitarian Overview 2024/2023 framing)[20]
Directional10In 2022, 2.4 billion people lacked access to legally protected social services (World Bank/ILO social protection coverage constraints)[21]
Single source11In 2021, 222 million people were living in countries with high debt distress risk (IMF/World Bank macro conditions context)[22]
Verified12In 2021, about 55% of global biodiversity loss risk is driven by land-use change that also affects rural livelihoods and poverty (IPBES linkage)[23]
Verified13In 2022, 90% of countries reported that at least one-third of their population lacked access to basic sanitation, tied to health poverty risk (WHO)[24]
Verified14In 2021, 1 in 3 people globally did not have access to adequate food (FAO, SOFI report context)[25]
Directional15In 2022, global estimates show that 2.4 billion people were moderately or severely food insecure (FAO SOFI)[26]
Single source16In 2022, 879 million adults were food insecure (FAO SOFI 2023 provides adult food insecurity breakdown)[26]
Verified17In 2022, 150.8 million children under 5 years were stunted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)[27]
Verified18In 2022, 45.0 million children under 5 years were wasted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)[27]
Verified19In 2022, 148.1 million children under 5 years were overweight globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank joint estimates)[27]
Directional20In 2022, 22.3% of children under 5 years were stunted globally (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank estimates)[27]
Single sourcePoverty Drivers Interpretation
Despite extreme poverty dropping from about 36% to about 10% between 1990 and 2015, repeated crises are still pushing hundreds of millions into harder conditions, with 339 million people needing humanitarian help in 2023 and 2.4 billion people moderately or severely food insecure in 2022.
Poverty Measurement
1The UNDP/OPHI Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is calculated for people living in 111 developing countries[4]
Verified2The global MPI uses 10 indicators across 5 dimensions: health, education, and living standards (with sub-dimensions)[4]
Verified3A person is considered multidimensionally poor if they are deprived in at least 33% of weighted indicators[4]
Verified4The MPI intensity is reported as the average proportion of deprivation among multidimensionally poor people[4]
Directional5The MPI value is computed as H (incidence) × A (intensity) × 100[4]
Single source6The World Bank’s poverty estimates use household survey microdata (with survey-weighted distribution of consumption or income)[28]
Verified7The Gini index for many countries is computed from household income or consumption distributions (World Bank method) used to analyze inequality-driven poverty[29]
Verified8The World Bank’s poverty headcount ratio (P0) is the share of people below a poverty line[30]
Verified9The poverty gap index (P1) measures the mean shortfall from the poverty line as a percentage of the line[31]
Directional10The squared poverty gap index (P2) reflects inequality among the poor (severity and distribution of shortfalls)[32]
Single source11The UNICEF Child Poverty report uses a child poverty measurement approach aligned with the $2.15/day and other lines (2017 PPP)[3]
Verified12Child poverty data commonly defines children in poor households using poverty lines applied to household resources[3]
Verified13The World Bank’s poverty estimates and PIP also produce uncertainty bands for poverty incidence using survey-to-survey and estimation errors[28]
VerifiedPoverty Measurement Interpretation
Across 111 developing countries, the MPI counts people as multidimensionally poor when they are deprived in at least 33 percent of 10 weighted indicators, and the average deprivation among them is then combined with this incidence to produce the overall MPI value, while World Bank poverty measures based on household survey data also emphasize how depth and severity of shortfalls below the poverty line vary through P1 and P2.
Policy & Outcomes
1In 2023, UNICEF estimated that 333 million people were facing severe food insecurity and this is associated with elevated poverty risk[6]
Verified2The World Bank reports that social assistance programs can reduce poverty; cash transfers are among the most cost-effective interventions[33]
Verified3The 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[34]
Verified4A 2019 World Bank paper estimated that female education completion can increase earnings by about 10–20% (education returns context tied to poverty reduction)[35]
Directional5The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months to reduce child malnutrition and poverty-related outcomes[36]
Single source6In 2022, Global Partnership for Education reported that countries increased education financing; donor commitments were €1.7 billion for GPE 2021 replenishment (policy finance)[37]
Verified7The GAVI Alliance reported that in 2022, 90% of eligible children under 1 were receiving immunizations in supported countries (coverage outcomes)[38]
Verified8The Gavi results site reports that in 2022, 70 million children were vaccinated (Gavi annual outcomes)[38]
Verified9The Global Fund reported that it supported 28 million people with antiretroviral therapy (ART) in 2022 (outcome indicator)[39]
Directional10The 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 potential[40]
Single source11The HCI framework measures what a child born today can expect to achieve by age 18; it is expressed as a fraction of maximum productivity[40]
Verified12In 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)[41]
Verified13In 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)[42]
Verified14The 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)[43]
Directional15UNICEF and partners reported that school feeding can increase enrollment and attendance; typical measured impacts include attendance gains of several percentage points in evaluated programs[44]
Single source16In 2023, the World Bank estimated IDA supported 19 countries with safety nets and jobs programs under COVID-19 response scale-up (programmatic outcomes)[45]
Verified17The World Bank’s Results Framework reports 1.2 billion people reached by health or social protection services through projects (global aggregation)[46]
Verified18The SDG 1.2.1 indicator tracks poverty reduction across countries; progress is monitored using national poverty lines and international lines (UN metadata)[47]
Verified19The 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)[48]
Directional20The Global Partnership for Education reports it has financed education in 84 countries (policy implementation scale metric)[49]
Single source21The 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)[45]
Verified22GPE’s 2021 replenishment included $2.8 billion in grant commitments (measurable donor finance) supporting education access to reduce poverty[37]
Verified23UNICEF estimates that school closures during COVID-19 affected 1.6 billion learners worldwide (education loss increases poverty risk)[50]
Verified24The 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)[51]
Directional25The SDG 1.4.1 metric monitors access to basic services; it is measured by national definitions of basic services (UN metadata)[52]
Single source26SDG 1.5.1 tracks resilience to shocks for the poor using poverty and vulnerability metrics (UN metadata)[53]
VerifiedPolicy & Outcomes Interpretation
Across recent years, major poverty and human development efforts have reached enormous numbers, such as about 333 million people facing severe food insecurity in 2023 and 1.2 billion people reached through health or social protection services, while cash transfers and expanded education and health financing are repeatedly shown as practical routes to cut poverty.
References
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