About 300 million people were projected to face severe food insecurity by early 2024, and 733 million faced hunger in 2022. Poverty also shows up in health and living conditions, with 3.3 billion people lacking electricity and 800 women dying each day from preventable pregnancy and childbirth causes. This article pulls together global poverty data across food, health, energy, and education.
Key Takeaways
- 800 women died each day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth in 2017 (WHO), reflecting poor access to healthcare linked to poverty
- 3.4 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases in 2019 globally (WHO/GBD), driven by unsafe water and sanitation concentrated among the poor
- 4.5 million people died from household air pollution in 2016 (GBD/WHO summarized), reflecting a poverty-linked risk from solid fuels
- 800 million people experience hunger each year during periods of acute food insecurity (FAO/World Food Programme synthesis on food insecurity), linked to poverty
- 652 million people were chronically undernourished in 2022
- 3.3 billion people lacked access to electricity in 2022
- 2.3 billion people used solid fuels for cooking in 2022
- 31.7% of global residents were below the national poverty line in 2022 (country reporting combined)
- 22% of people in fragile and conflict-affected settings experienced multidimensional poverty in 2022
- 300 million people were projected to be in IPC Phase 3 or higher by early 2024 (severe food insecurity)
- 25.3% of the world’s population (about 2.0 billion people) lived in moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022, indicating widespread poverty-linked deprivation of access to adequate food
- 733 million people faced hunger in 2022 (up from 690 million in 2019), reflecting persistent poverty and vulnerability to shocks
- Approximately 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, underscoring poverty constraints on nutrition quality
- 1 in 7 children under 5 years old (about 148 million) were stunted in 2022, a poverty-linked marker of chronic undernutrition
- About 49 million children under 5 years old were wasted in 2022, reflecting acute undernutrition risk often concentrated among poor households
Millions still suffer poverty driven health and hunger risks, from unsafe cooking to food insecurity, despite known solutions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Health & Survival12 stats
01
800 women died each day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth in 2017 (WHO), reflecting poor access to healthcare linked to poverty
02
3.4 million people died from diarrhoeal diseases in 2019 globally (WHO/GBD), driven by unsafe water and sanitation concentrated among the poor
03
4.5 million people died from household air pollution in 2016 (GBD/WHO summarized), reflecting a poverty-linked risk from solid fuels
04
13.5% of global deaths are attributable to undernutrition (WHO/UNICEF/World Bank estimates), a major poverty-linked risk
05
26% of adults were not physically active globally in 2016 (WHO estimate), higher in resource-poor populations in many contexts
06
18 million people died from noncommunicable diseases attributable to air pollution in 2019 (WHO/GBD synthesis), with disproportionate impact on poorer populations
07
Out-of-pocket spending exceeded 50% of total health expenditure in many low-income countries in 2020 (WHO database), often increasing catastrophic expenditures for the poor
08
1 in 10 people in the world (about 728 million) lacked access to essential medicines (WHO estimate), affecting poorer populations disproportionately
09
3.0 million people died from malaria in 2021 (WHO estimate), showing continued health burdens affecting poverty-stricken regions
10
1.3 million people died from tuberculosis in 2021 (WHO estimate), reflecting disease burdens concentrated where poverty is prevalent
11
10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis in 2022 (WHO), often linked to overcrowding and poverty
12
In 2022, 39% of children aged 6–59 months received no routine immunizations in some countries (WHO/UNICEF immunization coverage estimates), related to poverty and health access gaps
Interpretation
Health & Survival Interpretation
In the Health and Survival lens, the scale of preventable risk is stark, with 800 women dying each day from pregnancy and childbirth causes in 2017 alongside millions of deaths from diarrhoeal disease, household air pollution, and air pollution linked noncommunicable disease, showing how poverty-related conditions continue to drive avoidable mortality.
02 · Category
Food Insecurity4 stats
01
25.3% of the world’s population (about 2.0 billion people) lived in moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022, indicating widespread poverty-linked deprivation of access to adequate food
02
733 million people faced hunger in 2022 (up from 690 million in 2019), reflecting persistent poverty and vulnerability to shocks
03
Approximately 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2022, underscoring poverty constraints on nutrition quality
04
In 2023, 350 million people faced acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 or above (or equivalent), reflecting extreme deprivation concentrated among vulnerable populations
Interpretation
Food Insecurity Interpretation
In the Food Insecurity category, 25.3% of the world’s population, about 2.0 billion people, lived with moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022, while 733 million faced hunger and 350 million were in acute food insecurity in 2023, showing that extreme deprivation remains widespread and persistent.
03 · Category
Poverty Measures3 stats
01
31.7% of global residents were below the national poverty line in 2022 (country reporting combined)
02
22% of people in fragile and conflict-affected settings experienced multidimensional poverty in 2022
03
300 million people were projected to be in IPC Phase 3 or higher by early 2024 (severe food insecurity)
Interpretation
Poverty Measures Interpretation
In the poverty measures snapshot, 31.7% of people were below national poverty lines in 2022 and 22% of those in fragile and conflict-affected settings faced multidimensional poverty, while 300 million people were expected to be in IPC Phase 3 or higher by early 2024, showing that poverty is both widespread and especially deep in the most vulnerable contexts.
More related reading
04 · Category
Education & Connectivity3 stats
01
1.5 billion people lacked access to basic hygiene services (handwashing facilities with soap and water at home) in 2020, reinforcing disease vulnerability among poor households
02
4.4% of the global population (about 340 million people) were not enrolled in school in 2022, reducing human capital accumulation pathways out of poverty
03
Over 700 million adults worldwide (about 15% of the global adult population) are illiterate, limiting access to jobs and services that can break poverty cycles
Interpretation
Education & Connectivity Interpretation
In the Education and Connectivity space, around 340 million people were not enrolled in school in 2022 and over 700 million adults are illiterate, together signaling a large-scale barrier to developing skills and accessing opportunities.
05 · Category
Infrastructure And Energy2 stats
01
3.3 billion people lacked access to electricity in 2022
02
2.3 billion people used solid fuels for cooking in 2022
Interpretation
Infrastructure And Energy Interpretation
In the infrastructure and energy gap, 3.3 billion people still lacked electricity in 2022, and the fact that 2.3 billion relied on solid fuels for cooking shows how deeply energy access challenges limit everyday living.
06 · Category
Industry Overview8 stats
01
1 in 7 children under 5 years old (about 148 million) were stunted in 2022, a poverty-linked marker of chronic undernutrition
02
About 49 million children under 5 years old were wasted in 2022, reflecting acute undernutrition risk often concentrated among poor households
03
774 million people did not have access to electricity in 2021 (or earlier latest estimates), limiting education, productivity, and income generation
04
1.5 billion people worldwide use wood, charcoal, crop residues, or animal dung as their primary cooking fuel, indicating continued reliance on solid fuels in poverty contexts
05
800 million people experience hunger each year during periods of acute food insecurity (FAO/World Food Programme synthesis on food insecurity), linked to poverty
06
652 million people were chronically undernourished in 2022
07
As of end-2023, 68.7 million people were forcibly displaced (including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons), with poverty risks amplified by displacement
08
In 2022, the global social protection coverage (people receiving at least one cash benefit) was 46% (a coverage gap of 54%), leaving many poor households without adequate buffers
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the Industry Overview, poverty’s pressure is still visible in huge numbers, from 652 million people chronically undernourished and 1 in 7 children under 5 stunted in 2022 to 774 million lacking electricity and 1.5 billion relying on solid fuels for cooking, all of which directly constrain health, learning, and productivity.
report visual · Comparison
Poverty-linked deprivations (health, food, and services)
Key deprivation indicators show persistent gaps in health access, nutrition, and essential services that disproportionately affect people living in poverty.
31.7% of global residents were below the national poverty line in 2022 (country reporting combined)31.7%
25.3% of the world’s population (about 2.0 billion people) lived in moderate or severe food insecurity in 2022, indicati
25.3%
13.5% of global deaths are attributable to undernutrition (WHO/UNICEF/World Bank estimates), a major poverty-linked risk
13.5%
3.3 billion people lacked access to electricity in 2022
3.3
source-verifiedwho.int · fao.org · data.worldbank.org · iea.org2022
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). World Poverty Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-poverty-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "World Poverty Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/world-poverty-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "World Poverty Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-poverty-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)