11 Facts About Global Poverty

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1. Global poverty lines are used to measure the financial dimension of poverty. The thresholds of $1.90, $3.20, and $5.50 per day represent different standards for poverty around the world. People living on $1.90 per day are considered to live in extreme poverty.^[Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban, Max Rosner (2013, revised 2019). “Global Extreme Poverty.” Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
2. Money isn’t a complete measure of poverty. Other dimensions of poverty include access (or lack thereof) to work, health, nutrition, education, sanitation, housing, etc.^[Alkire, Sabina (2013). “How to Measure the Many Dimensions of Poverty.” OECD, Development Cooperation Report 2013: Ending Poverty. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/dcr-2013-7-en.pdf?expires=1594327342&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=73652FC121500D1885AB068FBD2341C0. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
3. In 2015 (the latest estimates available), 10% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 a day).^[The World Bank Group (2020). “Understanding Poverty: Overview.” https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
4. Half of the 736 million people living in extreme poverty globally live in five countries: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.^[The World Bank Group (2018). “Piecing Together the Poverty Puzzle.” Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2018. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30418/9781464813306.pdf. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
5. It’s estimated that, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent global recession, poverty rates will increase for the first time since 1990. ^[Sumner, Andy, Chris Hoy, and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez (2020). “Estimates Of The Impact Of Covid-19 On Global Poverty.” UNU-WIDER. United Nations. https://www.wider.unu.edu/publication/estimates-impact-covid-19-global-poverty. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
6. Internationally, 2.2 million people lack access to a safely-managed drinking water service (located nearby, available when needed, and free from contamination).^[United Nations. “Global Issues: Water.” https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/water/. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
7. Approximately 297,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water.^[United Nations. “Global Issues: Water.” https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/water/. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
8. About 13% of people globally do not have access to electricity, and 40% of people globally do not have access to clean fuels for cooking.^[Ritchie, Hannah (2019). "Access to Energy". Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/energy-access. Accessed July 9. 2020.]
9. Malnutrition is the leading cause of poor health and death around the world. Globally, 1 in 9 people is hungry or undernourished.^[Global Nutrition Report (2020). “Global Nutrition Report: Executive Summary.” https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/executive-summary/. Accessed July 9, 2020.]
10. A study of 13 developing countries found that government spending on education and health accounted for 69% of the total reduction of economic inequality.^[Lawson, Max et al (2019). “Public Good or Private Wealth?” Oxfam International. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620599/bp-public-good-or-private-wealth-210119-summ-en.pdf?utm_source=indepth. Accessed July 10, 2020.]
11. The entire health budget of Ethiopia, a country of 105 million people, is equivalent to just 1% of the fortune of the world’s richest man, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.^[Lawson, Max et al (2019). “Public Good or Private Wealth?” Oxfam International. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620599/bp-public-good-or-private-wealth-210119-summ-en.pdf?utm_source=indepth. Accessed July 10, 2020.]