Poverty in the world is shaped by where deprivation concentrates and by the conditions that keep it from easing. This page examines the poverty gap under $2.15/day, links extreme poverty to acute hunger and child vulnerability, and explores how limited access—like electricity, safe water, and sanitation—reduces health and opportunity. It also highlights social protection, financial inclusion, and the role of targeted education, cash transfers, and health interventions.
Key Takeaways
- Based on World Bank estimates, about 93 million more people entered extreme poverty in 2020 than would have been expected without COVID-19
- The World Bank estimated that in 2022 extreme poverty rates were 8.9%
- The global poverty gap (the depth of poverty) for those below $2.15/day was estimated at 1.5 percentage points of consumption in 2019
- In 2019, South Asia accounted for 26% of the world’s extreme poor (under $2.15/day)
- In 2022, 58% of people living in extreme poverty were children under 18 (global estimate from UNICEF/World Bank sources)
- In 2021, 24.2% of the population in Yemen was living below $6.85/day (2017 PPP), indicating severe poverty levels
- 147 million people were projected to face acute hunger in 2022 (IPC/CH phases 3–5), which is strongly associated with poverty and deprivation
- Globally, 659 million people lacked access to electricity in 2022
- Globally, 2.3 billion people still cooked with traditional fuels in 2021
- The OECD reported that ODA reached 0.37% of donors’ gross national income in 2023
- In FY2024, the World Bank Group approved $64.0 billion in financing (policy, development and poverty-related operations including social protection)
- UNICEF reported that 2.1 billion children lacked adequate social protection in 2021 (global estimate)
- The Global Partnership for Education reported that $1.0 billion financed education programs in 2022 to improve learning and reduce dropout, an indirect anti-poverty impact
- A systematic review reported that conditional cash transfers improved child health outcomes with effect sizes typically ranging from small to moderate compared with controls
- A WHO systematic review reported that insecticide-treated bed nets reduced child mortality by about 20% in malaria-endemic settings
COVID-19 pushed tens of millions into extreme poverty, leaving hundreds of millions still struggling without protection.
Related reading
01 · Category
Poverty Trends8 stats
01
Based on World Bank estimates, about 93 million more people entered extreme poverty in 2020 than would have been expected without COVID-19
02
The World Bank estimated that in 2022 extreme poverty rates were 8.9%
03
The global poverty gap (the depth of poverty) for those below $2.15/day was estimated at 1.5 percentage points of consumption in 2019
04
The World Bank projected that by 2030, 585 million people could still be living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day)
05
720 million people were living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day) in 2019
06
660 million people were living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day) in 2020
07
632 million people were living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day) in 2021
08
645 million people were living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day) in 2022
Interpretation
Poverty Trends Interpretation
Under the “Poverty Trends” angle, the World Bank estimates that an extra 93 million people fell into extreme poverty in 2020 due to COVID-19, and even with recovery the outlook remains sobering with 585 million people projected to still be living on under $2.15 a day by 2030.
report visual · Projection
Extreme poverty rose after 2019, then eased by 2022
The number of people living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day) fell from the 2019 high, dropped into 2020, partially recovered in 2021, and remains elevated in 2022—2020 shows th
720 million people
Start
-3.6%
CAGR · 3y
645 million people
Projected
20192022
source-verifiedworldbank.org2022
02 · Category
Geography & Groups9 stats
01
In 2019, South Asia accounted for 26% of the world’s extreme poor (under $2.15/day)
02
In 2022, 58% of people living in extreme poverty were children under 18 (global estimate from UNICEF/World Bank sources)
03
In 2021, 24.2% of the population in Yemen was living below $6.85/day (2017 PPP), indicating severe poverty levels
04
In 2021, 18.7% of the population in Madagascar lived below $3.65/day (2017 PPP)
05
In 2021, 16.9% of the population in Haiti lived below $3.65/day (2017 PPP)
06
In 2021, 7.6% of the population in Nigeria lived below $3.65/day (2017 PPP)
07
In 2021, 20.8% of the population in Pakistan lived below $6.85/day (2017 PPP)
08
In 2021, 5.4% of the population in Brazil lived below $6.85/day (2017 PPP)
09
In 2021, 14.0% of the population in Kenya lived below $3.65/day (2017 PPP)
Interpretation
Geography & Groups Interpretation
Across Geography and Groups, extreme poverty is highly concentrated in particular regions and disproportionately affects children, with South Asia making up 26% of the world’s extreme poor in 2019 and children under 18 accounting for 58% of people living in extreme poverty in 2022.
03 · Category
Drivers & Impacts7 stats
01
147 million people were projected to face acute hunger in 2022 (IPC/CH phases 3–5), which is strongly associated with poverty and deprivation
02
Globally, 659 million people lacked access to electricity in 2022
03
Globally, 2.3 billion people still cooked with traditional fuels in 2021
04
The Global Findex database (World Bank) reported that 71% of adults in the poorest 40% did not have an account at a financial institution in 2021
05
In 2022, the number of people facing severe food insecurity (IPC/CH phase 4) was 153 million
06
In 2023, 21.5 million people were internally displaced due to disasters and conflict (global estimate)
07
By mid-2023, more than 117 million people were forcibly displaced globally
Interpretation
Drivers & Impacts Interpretation
The data shows that poverty-related deprivation is widespread and persistent, with 147 million people projected to face acute hunger in 2022 and 153 million in severe food insecurity in 2022, while energy and financial exclusion remain severe at 659 million without electricity and 71% of adults in the poorest 40% lacking a bank account.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy & Funding3 stats
01
The OECD reported that ODA reached 0.37% of donors’ gross national income in 2023
02
In FY2024, the World Bank Group approved $64.0 billion in financing (policy, development and poverty-related operations including social protection)
03
UNICEF reported that 2.1 billion children lacked adequate social protection in 2021 (global estimate)
Interpretation
Policy & Funding Interpretation
Under the Policy and Funding lens, global support remains substantial yet uneven because ODA averaged 0.37% of donors’ gross national income in 2023, the World Bank Group approved $64.0 billion in financing in FY2024, and still 2.1 billion children lacked adequate social protection in 2021.
05 · Category
Interventions & Outcomes4 stats
01
The Global Partnership for Education reported that $1.0 billion financed education programs in 2022 to improve learning and reduce dropout, an indirect anti-poverty impact
02
A systematic review reported that conditional cash transfers improved child health outcomes with effect sizes typically ranging from small to moderate compared with controls
03
A WHO systematic review reported that insecticide-treated bed nets reduced child mortality by about 20% in malaria-endemic settings
04
The WHO reported that improved water and sanitation interventions reduced diarrheal disease by an estimated 21% on average
Interpretation
Interventions & Outcomes Interpretation
Across key interventions, outcomes are measurable, with WHO estimating water and sanitation cut diarrheal disease by about 21% on average, bed nets lowering child mortality by around 20% in malaria settings, and education financing reaching $1.0 billion in 2022 and conditional cash transfers improving child health outcomes.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Poverty In The World Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/poverty-in-the-world-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Poverty In The World Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/poverty-in-the-world-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Poverty In The World Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/poverty-in-the-world-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)