A quarter of the world lives in 'societal poverty' - here's what that means

Jan 4, 2021

A girl looks from the window of her family's house, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 15, 2020. Picture taken December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian - RC22PK9MCBX2

Poverty remains rife all over the world. Image: REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Christoph Lakner

Economist in the Poverty and Equity Global Practice, The World Bank.

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a graph showing the fall of extreme poverty and societal poverty have fallen in recent decades.

Both extreme poverty and societal poverty have fallen in recent decades. Image: PovcalNet, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020 / World Bank

a chart showing how global poverty is distributed among different regions

How global poverty is distributed among different regions. Image: PovcalNet, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020 / World Bank

a chart showing poerty rates by region since 1990-2018

Poverty rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have fallen. Image: PovcalNet, Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020 / World Bank

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A quarter of the world lives in 'societal poverty' - here's what that means

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COVID-19 has fuelled a global ‘learning poverty’ crisis

Here's how many people COVID-19 could push into poverty, according to the World Bank

How has the G20 performed on its sustainable and inclusive growth goals?

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