A recent UN Development Programme report sheds light on the alarming state of global poverty, revealing staggering statistics.
The report, published on Thursday in collaboration with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), highlighted that over one billion people worldwide are living in extreme poverty, with children accounting for more than half of this figure.
India has the largest number of people in extreme poverty, with 234 million of its 1.4 billion population affected. It is followed by Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with these five countries making up nearly half of the 1.1 billion impoverished people globally.
The findings also show that 83.2% of the world’s poorest individuals reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The report underscored that poverty rates are three times higher in conflict-affected nations. This rise comes as 2023 witnesses the most global conflicts since World War II.
OPHI Director Sabina Alkire explained to AFP that ongoing conflicts are a significant barrier to poverty reduction efforts. “While some of these results are expected, the scale is shocking — 455 million people are both struggling to survive and fearing for their safety,” she said.