Global Poverty… The Good News

Good News in the War on Poverty

Good news about global poverty? Yes! And there is much more than you’d expect!

The fight to combat global poverty is facing plenty of recent setbacks including a stall in poverty reduction since the COVID-19 pandemic, new/increased humanitarian crises (such as in Ukraine, Gaza or Sudan) and the continuing issue of sub-Saharan Africans living in extreme poverty. While these setbacks/challenges require recognition, there is still hope. For example, for Fiscal Year 26, the United States signed more than $51 billion into law for global development, diplomacy and humanitarian assistance, reflecting only a 16% cut, which is far less than the >50% initially proposed. Additionally, as shown throughout history, efforts to reduce global poverty have reaped measurable reductions in global poverty. Here are a few statistics from recent years to prove this:

  1. In 2015, the percentage of the global population living in extreme poverty fell below 10% for the first time. By March 2023, this figure stood at 8.5%, according to the World Bank.
  2. As of March 2023, 659 million people lived in extreme poverty, down from 902 million in 2012 and 1.9 billion in 1990.
  3. While pre-pandemic global poverty rates had reduced by more than half since 2000, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed some of this progress. In 2020, the global extreme poverty rate reached 9.3%, up from 8.4% in 2019. But, by March 2023, this rate had fallen by 0.8%.
  4. In East Asia and the Pacific, the number of people living in extreme poverty drastically decreased from 1.22 billion in 1990 to 44.9 million by 2025.
  5. In South Asia, the number of people living in extreme poverty also drastically decreased from 503 million in 1990 to 52.7 million in 2025.
  6. According to the World Bank, the number of workers living on under $3.65 dropped from 42.6% in 2004 to 17.5% in 2024, showing an average of an over 10% decrease over the past two decades.
  7. According to the World Health Organization, even though malaria is still a major issue that needs attention, efforts to address it have averted 2.3 billion malaria cases and 14 million deaths worldwide, including 1 million lives in 2024 alone.
  8. In 2024, 82% of people living with HIV in Africa were on lifesaving treatment compared to 45% in 2014.
  9. Despite the increase in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, in 2026, 22 African countries, with the support from UNAIDS and partners, are developing sustainability and transition plans to secure an increasingly self-reliant HIV response beyond 2030.
  10. From 2004 to 2024, there has been a decrease of approximately 1.47 million AIDS-related illnesses worldwide (2.1 million to 630,000).
  11. The share of children facing one or more severe deprivations in low-and-middle-income countries dropped from 51% in 2013 to 41% in 2023, which was largely due to prioritizing child rights in national policies and economic planning.
  12. In June 2023, 5.18 billion people around the world are using the Internet, equivalent to 64.6% of the human population. In 2000, just 7% of the global population had internet access.
  13. According to UNICEF, while the decrease in global prevalence of stunting has stalled (requiring more efforts), the percentage of children under 5 affected by stunting dropped from 33.1% in 2000 to 23.2% in 2024, showcasing a drop from 207.2 million to 150.2 million.
  14. The gross primary school enrollment rate in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 73% in 1994 to 97% in 2024.
  15. Global literacy rates (individuals 15 and older) have risen from 81% in 2000 to 88% in 2024.
  16. From 2000 to 2023, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined by 40%, specifically from 328 deaths to 197 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to UN interagency estimates.
  17. Since 1990, the global under-5 mortality rate has dropped by 59%, from 93 deaths per 1,000 live births to 37 in 2023.
  18. Female political representation has risen over the past few decades, as the proportion of seats that women held in national parliaments increased from 12% in 1997 to 27% in 2024.
  19. According to the Interparliamentary Union, in March 2023, every single country had women represented in their parliaments for the first time ever.
  20. From 1994 to 2024, the percentage of girls enrolled in primary school increased from 67% to 96% and the percentage of girls enrolled in secondary school increased from 51% to 77%.
  21. Female enrollment in college or university increased from 15% of tertiary-aged women in 1994 to 47% of tertiary-aged women in 2024.
  22. Global electricity access has increased from 78.4% in 2000 to 91.6% in 2023.