1. http://www.worldbank.

org/en/topic/poverty/overview
Poverty Overview

CONTEXT
The World Banks mission has been carved in stone at our Washington headquarters to
always remind us that our dream is a world free of poverty.
This mission underpins all our analytical, financial and convening work in more than
145 client countries that strive to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.
To learn more about how and where we work, go here.
The developing world has already attained the first Millennium Development Goal
target to cut the 1990 poverty rate in half by 2015. The 1990 extreme poverty rate
$1.25 a day in 2005 prices was halved in 2010, according to new preliminary estimates.
According to these estimates, 21 percent of people in the developing world lived at or
below $1.25 a day. Thats down from 43 percent in 1990 and 52 percent in 1981.
It means that 1.22 billion people lived on less than $1.25 a day in 2010, compared with
1.91 billion in 1990, and 1.94 billion in 1981. Notwithstanding this achievement, even if
the current rate of progress is to be maintained, some 1 billion people will still live in
extreme poverty in 2015.
Progress has been slower at higher poverty lines. In all, 2.4 billion people lived on less
than US $2 a day in 2010, the average poverty line in developing countries and another
common measurement of deep deprivation. That is a modest decline from 2.59 billion in
1981.
In some developing countries, we continue to see a wide gap or in some cases
widening gap between rich and poor, and between those who can and cannot access
opportunities. It means that access to good schools, healthcare, electricity, safe water
and other critical services remains elusive for many people who live in growing
economies.
Other challenges, such as economic shocks, food shortages and climate change threaten
to undermine the progress made in recent years.





STRATEGY
In April 2013, the World Bank Group set two new goals. The first one is to decrease the
global extreme poverty rate to no more than 3 percent by 2030. Achieving this target is
possible but challenging, and galvanizing efforts to fight against extreme poverty is
critical as some low income countries and fragile and conflict affected states will fall
short of the target.
The second goal is to promote shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. This goal is
measured by the increase in income of the less well off (the bottom 40 percent) over a
five year period in each country. This signals the institutions focus on the welfare of the
less well-off, wherever they are.
The World Bank Group is developing a strategy around these new goals to make sure
that our projects and programs are focused on progressing toward these goals.
The following themes form the core of the Banks poverty work today:
Measuring Poverty: A country's efforts to reduce poverty can be hampered by a lack of
jobs, weak safety nets, poor infrastructure, low productivity or other challenges. We
strive to understand the main constraints our client countries face and help governments
put in place policies and programs that reduce poverty. Measuring and analyzing
poverty is a critical part of this work. Bank teams work closely with countries to
improve their capacity to monitor welfare.Learn more.
Inequality and shared prosperity: Concerns about high or growing gaps in incomes are
rising. And despite progress, differences in access to education, health services, basic
infrastructure and job opportunities are still an urgent development challenge.
Birthplace, gender and parents continue to determine what opportunities many people
have in life. Our World Bank teams work with client countries to map out trends in
inequality and to examine how public policies can level the playing field. Learn more.
Evidence-based policy: A growing number of our client countries want to develop
monitoring and evaluation systems to track whether policies are benefiting the poor as
intended and if public resources are used well. We collaborate with policymakers to
improve data availability and quality, which are key to solid policy. Our emerging,
real-time data collection methods, meanwhile, help policymakers respond to
challenges as they occur. Learn more.
Job and poverty: More and better job opportunities provide the most powerful way out
poverty. We help our client countries strengthen the connection between economic
growth and job creation for the poor. Learn more.
Shocks and vulnerabilities: When food prices rise, a natural disaster occurs or the world
economy declines, poor people tend to suffer the most. Our World Bank teams explore
how climate change-related weather events affect human welfare, and what coping
mechanisms and public policies help vulnerable populations deal with shocks. They also
monitor international and domestic food prices and their potential impact on
poverty. Learn more.

RESULTS
While poverty rates have declined in all regions, progress has been uneven.
East Asia saw the most dramatic reduction when the regions $1.25-a-day poverty rate
fell from 77 percent in 1981 to 12 percent in 2010. In South Asia, the share of the
population living in extreme poverty is now the lowest since 1981, dropping from 61
percent in 1981 to 31 percent in 2010. Sub-Saharan Africa reduced its $1.25-a-day
poverty rate to 48 percent in 2010 from 52 percent in 1981.
China alone accounted for most of the decline in extreme poverty over the past three
decade. Between 1981 and 2010, the nation had 680 million people moving out of
extreme poverty. During the same time, the developing world as a whole saw a reduction
in poverty of 723 million.
In 2010, nearly three-quarters of the extremely poor lived in South Asia (507 million)
and Sub-Saharan Africa (414 million). In addition, 251 million lived in East Asia.
Fewer than 50 million of the extremely poor lived in Latin America and the Caribbean,
Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia combined.
Here are some examples of Bank-supported projects that are having a positive effect on
poor households and communities in client countries:
Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) helps partner governments and other
stakeholders understand what impact the proposed policies and programs may have on
poor people, and on inequality of income and opportunity. Examples of PSIA programs
and areas of work are:
A social assistance reform project in the Dominican Republic helped increase
school participation among children.
A high-profile study on trade barriers in Africa raised awareness about untapped
opportunities for African nations to trade goods, service and investments across
borders.
A study of Pakistans Freight Transport Reform is helping the government
identify cost-effective ways to make its transport system more efficient. The PSIA
portion of the study identifies social and poverty priority issues associated with
reform.
An assessment was made of the potential impact of changing energy subsidies in
Middle Eastern countries.
An evaluation of Mexicos programs to protect the poor against climate change-
related disasters was made to help the country adapt to changing weather
patterns.
Two studies to assess the poverty and social impacts of a major reform of
Romanias social assistance programs help the country implement more
equitable programs.
Economists and data experts from the World Bank worked closely with the Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics to collect and process household poverty data at a record speed in
2010. With the help of a US$500,000 grant, Bangladesh was able to use new technology
to calculate and publish national poverty data giving policymakers and civil society
information they could act on immediately, and broader data to monitor over time.
In Latin America and Africa, the World Bank sponsors the collection of household data
via mobile phones. Such real-time data will compliment traditional face-to-face survey
programs and track changes in welfare. With instant data at their fingertips,
policymakers can react faster to urgent public needs. Pilot projects are conducted in
Peru and Nicaragua by the Banks Latin America poverty team and by the Nairobi-
based poverty team in South Sudan.
A number of World Bank teams are analyzing inequality of opportunities among
children across the world, using new and innovative methods to measure inequality of
opportunities (which refers to inequality in access to basic goods and services necessary
to succeed in life; as opposed to well-known measures of inequality of income, which is
traditionally measured in monetary terms). Work is completed or ongoing in Latin
America, Europe Central Asia and Africa. The teams working on these studies are
helping client countries incorporate the research in their fiscal analysis and development
of social programs.
A new, interactive map developed by Bank teams as part of the poverty program in
Afghanistan shows, for the first time, the economic diversity and gaps that exist between
provinces in the South Asian country. This, coupled with an in-depth poverty status
report, helps Afghan policymakers and their partners better target policies and
programs that benefit Afghanistans poor.
Our ADePT Poverty, Labor, and Inequality software platforms are user-friendly tools
that help economists become more productive and efficient when processing and
analyzing economic data. The tools allow users to produce poverty profiles that show
who the poor are, where they live and what deprivations they suffer from. ADePt also
produces labor market indicators and simulates how a crisis affects poverty and
inequality.


2. https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-global-poverty
11 Facts About Global Poverty :
1. Nearly half of the worlds population more than 3 billion people live on less
than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty (less than $1.25 a
day).
2. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000
children die each day due to poverty.
3. More than 1 billion people lack adequate access to clean drinking water and an
estimated 400 million of these are children. Because unclean water yields illness,
roughly 443 million school days are missed every year.
4. In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5 were stunted (reduced rate of
growth and development) due to chronic malnutrition.
5. 870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat.
6. Preventable diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia take the lives of 2 million
children a year who are too poor to afford proper treatment.
7. As of 2011, 19 million children worldwide remain unvaccinated.
8. A quarter of all humans live without electricity approximately 1.6 billion
people.
9. 80 percent of the world population lives on less than $10 a day.
10. It would cost approximately $40 billion to offer basic education, clean water and
sanitation, reproductive health for women, and basic health and nutrition to
every person in every developing country.
11. The World Food Programme says, The poor are hungry and their hunger traps
them in poverty. Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing
more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.






3.http://www.thp.org/learn_more/issues/know_your_world_facts_about_hunger_and_po
verty?gclid=CLHel_nCwb0CFQoYwwodybsAkQ
Know Your World: Facts About Hunger and Poverty
World Population
7 billion
World Hunger
842 million people - or one in eight people in the world - do not have enough to
eat.
98% of the world's undernourished people live in developing countries.
2

Where is hunger the worst?
o Asia: 552 million
2

o Sub-Saharan Africa: 223 million
2

o Latin America and the Caribbean: 47 million
2

Aiming at the very heart of hunger, The Hunger Project is currently committed to work
in Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina
Faso, Ethiopia, India, Ghana,Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, Senegal and Uganda.
Women and Children
60 percent of the world's hungry are women.
2

50 percent of pregnant women in developing countries lack proper maternal
care, resulting in 240,000 maternal deaths annually from childbirth.
3

1 out of 6 infants are born with a low birth weight in developing countries.
4

Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under five - 3.1
million children each year. That is 8,500 children per day.
6

A third of all childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by hunger.
5

66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the
developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone.
6

Every 10 seconds, a child dies from hunger-related diseases.
5

The Hunger Project firmly believes that empowering women to be key change agents is
an essential element to achieving the end of hunger and poverty. Wherever we work, our
programs aim to support women and build their capacity.
HIV/AIDS and other Diseases
35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS.
7

52 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS are women.
7

88 percent of all children and 60 percent of all women living with HIV are in sub-
Saharan Africa.
7

6.9 million children died in 2011 each year - 19,000 a day- mostly from
preventable health issues such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.
5

Launched in 2003, The Hunger Project's HIV/AIDS and Gender Inequality
Campaign works at the grassroots level to provide education about preventative and
treatment measures.
Poverty
1.4 billion people in developing countries live on $1.25 a day or less.
8

Rural areas account for three out of every four people living on less than $1.25 a
day.
9

22,000 children die each day due to conditions of poverty.
10

Rural Hunger Project partners have access to income-generating workshops,
empowering their self-reliance. Our Microfinance Program in Africa provides access to
credit, adequate training and instilling in our partners the importance of saving.
Agriculture
75 percent of the world's poorest people 1.4 billion women, children, and men
live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their
livelihood.
11

50 percent of hungry people are farming families.
11

In each region in which we work, The Hunger Project provides tools and training to
increase farming production at the local level. In Africa, our epicenter partners run
community farms where they implement new techniques while producing food for the
epicenter food bank.
Water
1.7 billion people lack access to clean water.
12

2.3 billion people suffer from water-borne diseases each year.
12

12 percent of the world's population uses 85 percent of its water, and none of the
12 percent lives in developing countries.
13

The Hunger Project works with communities to develop new water resources,
ensure clean water and improved sanitation, and implement water conservation
techniques.

4.http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm

2013 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics
World Hunger Education Service
(Also see World Child Hunger Facts)
This fact sheet is divided into the following sections:
Hunger concepts and definitions
Number of hungry people in the world
Children and hunger
Does the world produce enough food to feed everyone?
Causes of hunger
Progress in reducing the number of hungry people
Micronutrients
Hunger concepts and definitions
Hunger is a term which has three meanings (Oxford English Dictionary 1971)
the uneasy or painful sensation caused by want of food; craving appetite. Also the
exhausted condition caused by want of food
the want or scarcity of food in a country
a strong desire or craving
World hunger refers to the second definition, aggregated to the world level. The related
technical term (in this case operationalized in medicine) is either malnutrition, or, if
malnutrition is taken to refer to both undernutrition and overnutrition,
undernutrition. Both malnutrition and undernutrition refer to not having enough food.
Malnutrition (or undernutrition) is a general term that indicates a lack of some or all
nutritional elements necessary for human health (Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia).
There are two basic types of malnutrition. The first and most important is protein-
energy malnutrition (PEM). It is basically a lack of calories and protein. Food is
converted into energy by humans, and the energy contained in food is measured by
calories. Protein is necessary for key body functions including provision of essential
amino acids and development and maintenance of muscles. This is the most lethal form
of malnutrition/hunger and is the type of malnutrition that is referred to when world
hunger is discussed.
The second type of malnutrition, also very important, is micronutrient (vitamin and
mineral) deficiency. This is not the type of malnutrition that is referred to when world
hunger is discussed, though it is certainly very important.
Take a two-question hunger quiz on this section
Number of hungry people in the world
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that nearly 870
million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world, or one in eight, were suffering from
chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012. Almost all the hungry people, 852 million, live
in developing countries, representing 15 percent of the population of developing
counties. There are 16 million people undernourished in developed countries
(FAO 2012).
The number of undernourished people decreased nearly 30 percent in Asia and the
Pacific, from 739 million to 563 million, largely due to socio-economic progress in many
countries in the region. The prevalence of undernourishment in the region decreased
from 23.7 percent to 13.9 percent.
Latin America and the Caribbean also made progress, falling from 65 million hungry in
1990-1992 to 49 million in 2010-2012, while the prevalence of undernourishment dipped
from 14.6 percent to 8.3 percent. But the rate of progress has slowed recently.
The number of hungry grew in Africa over the period, from 175 million to 239 million,
with nearly 20 million added in the last few years. Nearly one in four are hungry. And
in sub-Saharan Africa, the modest progress achieved in recent years up to 2007 was
reversed, with hunger rising 2 percent per year since then.
Developed regions also saw the number of hungry rise, from 13 million in 2004-2006 to
16 million in 2010-2012, reversing a steady decrease in previous years from 20 million in
1990-1992 (FAO 2012).
The above is based on the new estimates of world hunger by the FAO using
revised proceedures. It is worth noting that the new estimates give a different answer
than the old estimates as the graph below shows (Lappe, 2013).

Children and hunger
Children are the most visible victims of undernutrition. Children who are poorly
nourished suffer up to 160 days of illness each year. Poor nutrition plays a role in at
least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year--five million deaths. Undernutrition
magnifies the effect of every disease, including measles and malaria. The estimated
proportions of deaths in which undernutrition is an underlying cause are roughly
similar for diarrhea (61%), malaria (57%), pneumonia (52%), and measles (45%)
(Black 2003, Bryce 2005). Malnutrition can also be caused by diseases, such as the
diseases that cause diarrhea, by reducing the body's ability to convert food into usable
nutrients.
According to the most recent estimate that Hunger Notes could find, malnutrition, as
measured by stunting, affects 32.5 percent of children in developing countries--one of
three (de Onis 2000). Geographically, more than 70 percent of malnourished children
live in Asia, 26 percent in Africa and 4 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean. In
many cases, their plight began even before birth with a malnourished mother. Under-
nutrition among pregnant women in developing countries leads to 1 out of 6 infants born
with low birth weight. This is not only a risk factor for neonatal deaths, but also causes
learning disabilities, mental, retardation, poor health, blindness and premature death.
Take a three-question hunger quiz on this section
Does the world produce enough food to feed everyone?
The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17
percent more calories per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent
population increase. This is enough to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720
kilocalories (kcal) per person per day according to the most recent estimate that we
could find (FAO 2002, p.9). The principal problem is that many people in the world do
not have sufficient land to grow, or income to purchase, enough food.
What are the causes of hunger?
What are the causes of hunger is a fundamental question, with varied answers.
Poverty is the principal cause of hunger. The causes of poverty include poor people's
lack of resources, an extremely unequal income distribution in the world and within
specific countries, conflict, and hunger itself. As of 2008 (2005 statistics), the World
Bank has estimated that there were an estimated 1,345 million poor people in developing
countries who live on $1.25 a day or less.
1
This compares to the later FAO estimate of
1.02 billion undernourished people. Extreme poverty remains an alarming problem in
the worlds developing regions, despite some progress that reduced "dollar--now $1.25--
a day" poverty from (an estimated) 1900 million people in 1981, a reduction of 29
percent over the period. Progress in poverty reduction has been concentrated in Asia,
and especially, East Asia, with the major improvement occurring in China. In Sub-
Saharan Africa, the number of people in extreme poverty has increased. The statement
that 'poverty is the principal cause of hunger' is, though correct, unsatisfying. Why
then are (so many) people poor? The next section summarizes Hunger Notes answer.
Harmful economic systems are the principal cause of poverty and hunger. Hunger Notes
believes that the principal underlying cause of poverty and hunger is the ordinary
operation of the economic and political systems in the world. Essentially control over
resources and income is based on military, political and economic power that typically
ends up in the hands of a minority, who live well, while those at the bottom barely
survive, if they do. We have described the operation of this system in more detail in our
special section onHarmful economic systems.
Conflict as a cause of hunger and poverty. At the end of 2005, the global number of
refugees was at its lowest level in almost a quarter of a century. Despite some large-scale
repatriation movements, the last three years have witnessed a significant increase in
refugee numbers, due primarily to the violence taking place in Iraq and Somalia. By the
end of 2008, the total number of refugees under UNHCRs mandate exceeded 10 million.
The number of conflict-induced internally displaced persons (IDPs) reached some 26
million worldwide at the end of the year . Providing exact figures on the number of
stateless people is extremely difficult But, important, (relatively) visible though it is, and
anguishing for those involved conflict is less important as poverty (and its causes) as a
cause of hunger. (Using the statistics above 1.02 billion people suffer from chronic
hunger while 36 million people are displaced [UNHCR 2008])
Hunger is also a cause of poverty, and thus of hunger. By causing poor health, low levels
of energy, and even mental impairment, hunger can lead to even greater poverty by
reducing people's ability to work and learn, thus leading to even greater hunger.
Climate change Climate change is increasingly viewed as a current and future cause of
hunger and poverty. Increasing drought, flooding, and changing climatic patterns
requiring a shift in crops and farming practices that may not be easily accomplished are
three key issues. See the Hunger Notes special report: Hunger, the environment, and
climate change for further information, especially articles in the section: Climate
change, global warming and the effect on poor people such as Global warming causes
300,000 deaths a year, study says and Could food shortages bring down civilization?
Progress in reducing the number of hungry people
There are two sets of issues that must be considered in evaluating progress: estimations
of hunger, and goals set.
Estimations of hunger. As indicated above, the two FAO estimations
differ. Specifically, since 1992, the earlier estimate has hunger going up, while the later
has hunger going down.
Secondly, how do you evaluate progresswhat goals have been set.
The target set at the 1996 World Food Summit was to halve the number of
undernourished people by 2015 from their number in 1990-92. The target set by the
Millenium goals was to halve the proportion of hungry people by 2015
World Food Summit target. The target set at the 1996 World Food Summit was to halve
the number of undernourished people by 2015 from their number in 1990-92. (FAO uses
three year averages in its calculation of undernourished people.)
Progress using the old estimate of world hunger. The number of undernourished people
in developing countries using the old estimate was 824 million in 1990-92. In 2010-2012,
the number had increased to 870 million people. So rather than being cut in half to 420,
the number has increased to 870 million.
Using the new estimates of world hunger, the number of undernourished people was 1
billion in 1990-92 and had decreased to 870 in 2010-12, with the goal 500 million people.
Millenium goal target. Using the old estimates, there were 824 million hungry people in
1990-92 and the world population was 5,370 million (US census estimates for
1991). Thus the proportion was .143 and halving it would be .071. The current
proportion (870 million hungry divided by 2013 world population of 7,095) is
.122. Thus in 2013 the world is .051 of world population away from reaching this target,
or 362 million people.
Using the new estimates, there were 1 billion hungry people in 1990-92 and and the
world population was 5,370 million (US census estimates for 1991). Thus the
proportion was .18 and halving it would be .09. The current proportion (870 million
hungry divided by 2013 world population of 7,095) is .123. Thus in 2013, the world is
.033 away, or 234 million people, from reaching this target.
Thus, in summary, the world is from 870 million to 234 million people away from
reaching a hunger reduction goal, depending on which goal and which estimate is
chosen.
Micronutrients
Quite a few trace elements or micronutrients--vitamins and minerals--are important for
health. 1 out of 3 people in developing countries are affected by vitamin and mineral
deficiencies, according to the World Health Organization. Three, perhaps the most
important in terms of health consequences for poor people in developing countries, are:
Vitamin A Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness and reduces the body's
resistance to disease. In children Vitamin A deficiency can also cause growth
retardation. Between 100 and 140 million children are vitamin A deficient. An estimated
250,000 to 500 000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, half of them
dying within 12 months of losing their sight. (World Health Organization)
I ron Iron deficiency is a principal cause of anemia. Two billion peopleover 30 percent
of the worlds populationare anemic, mainly due to iron deficiency, and, in developing
countries, frequently exacerbated by malaria and worm infections. For children, health
consequences include premature birth, low birth weight, infections, and elevated risk of
death. Later, physical and cognitive development are impaired, resulting in lowered
school performance. For pregnant women, anemia contributes to 20 percent of all
maternal deaths (World Health Organization).
I odineIodine deficiency disorders (IDD) jeopardize childrens mental health often their
very lives. Serious iodine deficiency during pregnancy may result in stillbirths, abortions
and congenital abnormalities such as cretinism, a grave, irreversible form of mental
retardation that affects people living in iodine-deficient areas of Africa and Asia. IDD
also causes mental impairment that lowers intellectual prowess at home, at school, and
at work. IDD affects over 740 million people, 13 percent of the worlds population. Fifty
million people have some degree of mental impairment caused by IDD (World Health
Organization).
(Updated July 27, 2013)
Footnotes
1. The table used to calculate this number.
Region
% in $1.25 a day
poverty
Population
(millions)
Pop. in $1 a day
poverty (millions)
East Asia and Pacific 16.8 1,884 316
Latin America and the
Caribbean
8.2 550 45
South Asia 40.4 1,476 596
Sub-Saharan Africa 50.9 763 388
Total Developing
countries
28,8 4673 1345
Europe and Central Asia 0.04 473 17
Middle East and North
Africa
0.04 305 11
Total 5451 1372
Source: See World Bank PovcalNet "Replicate the World Bank's Regional
Aggregation" athttp://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/povDuplic.html (accessed
May 7, 2010). Also see World Bank "PovcalNet"
athttp://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTP
ROGRAMS/EXTPOVRES/EXTPOVCALNET/0,,contentMDK:21867101~pagePK:6416
8427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:5280443,00.html