poverty introduction for assignment

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• Introduction

Cyclical poverty

Collective poverty, concentrated collective poverty, case poverty.

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• Social Science LibreTexts - Poverty
• University of Minnesota Libraries - Open Textbooks - Explaining Poverty
• CORE - Theories of Poverty: A Critical Review
• Pressbooks at Howard Community College - Introduction to Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World - Economic Inequality and Poverty in the United States
• poverty - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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poverty , the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs. In this context , the identification of poor people first requires a determination of what constitutes basic needs. These may be defined as narrowly as “those necessary for survival” or as broadly as “those reflecting the prevailing standard of living in the community.” The first criterion would cover only those people near the borderline of starvation or death from exposure; the second would extend to people whose nutrition, housing, and clothing, though adequate to preserve life, do not measure up to those of the population as a whole. The problem of definition is further compounded by the noneconomic connotations that the word poverty has acquired. Poverty has been associated, for example, with poor health, low levels of education or skills, an inability or an unwillingness to work, high rates of disruptive or disorderly behaviour, and improvidence. While these attributes have often been found to exist with poverty, their inclusion in a definition of poverty would tend to obscure the relation between them and the inability to provide for one’s basic needs. Whatever definition one uses, authorities and laypersons alike commonly assume that the effects of poverty are harmful to both individuals and society.

Although poverty is a phenomenon as old as human history, its significance has changed over time. Under traditional (i.e., nonindustrialized) modes of economic production, widespread poverty had been accepted as inevitable. The total output of goods and services, even if equally distributed, would still have been insufficient to give the entire population a comfortable standard of living by prevailing standards. With the economic productivity that resulted from industrialization , however, this ceased to be the case—especially in the world’s most industrialized countries , where national outputs were sufficient to raise the entire population to a comfortable level if the necessary redistribution could be arranged without adversely affecting output.

Several types of poverty may be distinguished depending on such factors as time or duration (long- or short-term or cyclical) and distribution (widespread, concentrated, individual).

(Read Indira Gandhi’s 1975 Britannica essay on global underprivilege.)

Cyclical poverty refers to poverty that may be widespread throughout a population, but the occurrence itself is of limited duration. In nonindustrial societies (present and past), this sort of inability to provide for one’s basic needs rests mainly upon temporary food shortages caused by natural phenomena or poor agricultural planning. Prices would rise because of scarcities of food, which brought widespread, albeit temporary, misery.

In industrialized societies the chief cyclical cause of poverty is fluctuations in the business cycle , with mass unemployment during periods of depression or serious recession . Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the industrialized nations of the world experienced business panics and recessions that temporarily enlarged the numbers of the poor. The United States’ experience in the Great Depression of the 1930s, though unique in some of its features, exemplifies this kind of poverty. And until the Great Depression, poverty resulting from business fluctuations was accepted as an inevitable consequence of a natural process of market regulation . Relief was granted to the unemployed to tide them over until the business cycle again entered an upswing. The experiences of the Great Depression inspired a generation of economists such as John Maynard Keynes , who sought solutions to the problems caused by extreme swings in the business cycle. Since the Great Depression, governments in nearly all advanced industrial societies have adopted economic policies that attempt to limit the ill effects of economic fluctuation. In this sense, governments play an active role in poverty alleviation by increasing spending as a means of stimulating the economy. Part of this spending comes in the form of direct assistance to the unemployed, either through unemployment compensation , welfare, and other subsidies or by employment on public-works projects. Although business depressions affect all segments of society, the impact is most severe on people of the lowest socioeconomic strata because they have fewer marginal resources than those of a higher strata.

In contrast to cyclical poverty, which is temporary, widespread or “ collective ” poverty involves a relatively permanent insufficiency of means to secure basic needs—a condition that may be so general as to describe the average level of life in a society or that may be concentrated in relatively large groups in an otherwise prosperous society. Both generalized and concentrated collective poverty may be transmitted from generation to generation, parents passing their poverty on to their children.

Collective poverty is relatively general and lasting in parts of Asia, the Middle East , most of Africa, and parts of South America and Central America . Life for the bulk of the population in these regions is at a minimal level. Nutritional deficiencies cause disease seldom seen by doctors in the highly developed countries. Low life expectancy , high levels of infant mortality, and poor health characterize life in these societies.

Collective poverty is usually related to economic underdevelopment. The total resources of many developing nations in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America would be insufficient to support the population adequately even if they were equally divided among all of the citizens. Proposed remedies are twofold: (1) expansion of the gross national product (GNP) through improved agriculture or industrialization, or both, and (2) population limitation. Thus far, both population control and induced economic development in many countries have proved difficult, controversial, and at times inconclusive or disappointing in their results.

An increase of the GNP does not necessarily lead to an improved standard of living for the population at large, for a number of reasons. The most important reason is that, in many developing countries, the population grows even faster than the economy does, with no net reduction in poverty as a result. This increased population growth stems primarily from lowered infant mortality rates made possible by improved sanitary and disease-control measures. Unless such lowered rates eventually result in women bearing fewer children, the result is a sharp acceleration in population growth. To reduce birth rates, some developing countries have undertaken nationally administered family-planning programs, with varying results. Many developing nations are also characterized by a long-standing system of unequal distribution of wealth —a system likely to continue despite marked increases in the GNP. Some authorities have observed the tendency for a large portion of any increase to be siphoned off by persons who are already wealthy, while others claim that increases in GNP will always trickle down to the part of the population living at the subsistence level.

In many industrialized, relatively affluent countries, particular demographic groups are vulnerable to long-term poverty. In city ghettos , in regions bypassed or abandoned by industry, and in areas where agriculture or industry is inefficient and cannot compete profitably, there are found victims of concentrated collective poverty. These people, like those afflicted with generalized poverty, have higher mortality rates, poor health, low educational levels, and so forth when compared with the more affluent segments of society. Their chief economic traits are unemployment and underemployment, unskilled occupations, and job instability. Efforts at amelioration focus on ways to bring the deprived groups into the mainstream of economic life by attracting new industry, promoting small business, introducing improved agricultural methods, and raising the level of skills of the employable members of the society.

Similar to collective poverty in relative permanence but different from it in terms of distribution, case poverty refers to the inability of an individual or family to secure basic needs even in social surroundings of general prosperity. This inability is generally related to the lack of some basic attribute that would permit the individual to maintain himself or herself. Such persons may, for example, be blind, physically or emotionally disabled , or chronically ill. Physical and mental handicaps are usually regarded sympathetically, as being beyond the control of the people who suffer from them. Efforts to ameliorate poverty due to physical causes focus on education, sheltered employment, and, if needed, economic maintenance.

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Global Poverty

Learning outcomes.

• Distinguish between relative and absolute poverty
• Describe the economic situation of some of the world’s most impoverished areas

What does it mean to be poor? Does it mean being a single mother with two kids in New York City, waiting for the next paycheck in order to buy groceries? Does it mean living with almost no furniture in your apartment because your income doesn’t allow for extras like beds or chairs? Or does it mean having to live with the distended bellies of the chronically malnourished throughout the peripheral nations of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia? Poverty has a thousand faces and a thousand gradations; there is no single definition that pulls together every part of the spectrum. You might feel you are poor if you can’t afford cable television or buy your own car. Every time you see a fellow student with a new laptop and smartphone you might feel that you, with your ten-year-old desktop computer, are barely keeping up. However, someone else might look at the clothes you wear and the calories you consume and consider you rich.

Types of Poverty

Social scientists define global poverty in different ways and take into account the complexities and the issues of relativism described above. Relative poverty is a state of living where people can afford necessities but are unable to meet their society’s average standard of living. People often disparage “keeping up with the Joneses”—the idea that you must achieve at least your neighbors’ observable standard of living in order to not feel or appear deprived. Less abstractly, you might feel “poor” if you are living without a car to drive to and from work, or without an economic safety net should a family member fall ill, and without any “extras” beyond just making ends meet.

Contrary to relative poverty, people who live in absolute poverty lack even the basic necessities, which typically include adequate food, clean water, safe housing, and access to healthcare. Absolute poverty is defined by the World Bank (2014a) as when someone lives on less than $1.25 a day. According to the most recent estimates, in 2011, about 17 percent of people in the developing world lived at or below $1.25 a day, a decrease of 26 percent compared to ten years ago, and an overall decrease of 35 percent compared to twenty years ago. A shocking number of people––88 million––live in absolute poverty, and close to 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day (Shah 2011).

While several economic factors can be improved in the United States (inequitable distribution of income and wealth, feminization of poverty, stagnant wages for most workers while executive pay and profits soar, a declining middle class), we are fortunate that the poverty experienced here is most often relative poverty and not absolute poverty. Whereas absolute poverty is deprivation so severe that it puts one’s survival in jeopardy, relative poverty is not having the means to achieve the lifestyle of the average person in your country.

Subjective poverty describes poverty that is composed of many dimensions; it is subjectively present when your actual income does not meet your expectations and perceptions. With the concept of subjective poverty, the poor themselves have a greater say in recognizing when poverty is present. In short, subjective poverty has more to do with how a person or a family defines themselves. This means that a family subsisting on a few dollars a day in Nepal might think of themselves as doing well, within their perception of normal. However, a Westerner traveling to Nepal might visit the same family and see extreme need.

Absolute Poverty Around the World

The majority of the poorest countries in the world are in Africa. That is not to say there is not diversity within the countries of that continent; countries like South Africa and Egypt have much lower rates of poverty than Angola and Ethiopia, for instance. Overall, African income levels have been dropping compared to the rest of the world, meaning that Africa as a whole is getting relatively poorer. Making the problem worse, 2014 saw an outbreak of the  Ebola  virus in West Africa, leading to both a public health crisis and an economic downturn due to a loss of workers and tourist dollars.

Why is Africa in such dire straits? Much of the continent’s poverty can be traced to the availability of land, especially arable land (land that can be farmed). Centuries of struggle over land ownership have meant that much useable land has been ruined or left unfarmed, while many countries with inadequate rainfall have never set up an infrastructure to irrigate. Many of Africa’s natural resources were long ago taken by colonial forces, leaving little agricultural and mineral wealth on the continent.

Further, African poverty is worsened by civil wars and inadequate governance that are the result of a continent reshaped by colonial borders and leaders. Consider the example of Rwanda. There, two ethnic groups cohabitated with their own system of hierarchy and management until Belgian colonists took control of the country in 1915 and rigidly confined members of the population into two unequal ethnic groups. Historically, members of the Tutsi group held positions of power, but the involvement of the Belgian colonizers led to the Hutus seizing power during a 1960s revolt. This ultimately produced a repressive government and a genocide against the Tutsis that left hundreds of thousands of Rwandans dead or living in a broad geographical displacement called a diaspora (U.S. Department of State 2011c). Ten years after the civil war, researchers estimated that the conflict resulted in a 20-30% reduction of per capita GDP in the nation. [1] The painful rebirth of a self-ruled Africa has meant many countries bear ongoing scars as they try to see their way towards the future (World Poverty 2012a).

While the majority of the world’s poorest countries are in Africa, the majority of the world’s poorest people are in Asia. As in Africa, Asia finds itself with disparities in the distribution of poverty, with Japan and South Korea holding much more wealth than India and Cambodia. In fact, most poverty is concentrated in South Asia. One of the most pressing causes of poverty in Asia is simply the pressure that the size of the population puts on its resources. In fact, many believe that China’s success in recent times has much to do with its draconian population control rules, which strongly encourage families to have only one child. According to the U.S. State Department, China’s market-oriented reforms have contributed to its significant reduction of poverty and to the speed at which it has experienced an increase in income levels (U.S. Department of State 2011b).

Similar to many African countries, Asian countries have suffered from the legacy of imperialism and colonialism, as seen in the Philippines, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Subsequent wars and U.S. intervention have deepened economic problems.

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) includes oil-rich countries in the Gulf, such as Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait, but also countries that are relatively resource-poor in relation to their populations, such as Morocco and Yemen. These countries are predominantly Islamic. For the last quarter-century, economic growth was slower in MENA than in other developing economies, and almost a quarter of the 300 million people who make up the population live on less than $2.00 a day (World Bank 2013).

The International Labour Organization tracks the way income inequality influences social unrest. The two regions with the highest risk of social unrest are Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa region (International Labour Organization 2012). Increasing unemployment and high socioeconomic inequality in MENA were major factors in the Arab Spring, which—beginning in 2010—toppled dictatorships throughout the Middle East in favor of democratically elected government. Adding to the prospects for social unrest is the fact that unemployment and income inequalities are often blamed on immigrants, foreign nationals, and ethnic/religious minorities.

Watch the selected second half of this video to learn more about absolute poverty around the world.

Global Feminization of Poverty

In some ways, the phrase “global feminization of poverty” says it all: around the world women are disproportionately bearing the burden of poverty. This means more women live in poor conditions, receive inadequate healthcare, bear the brunt of malnutrition and inadequate drinking water, and so on. Throughout the 1990s, data indicated that while overall poverty rates were rising, especially in peripheral nations, the rates of impoverishment increased for women nearly 20 percent more than for men (Mogadham 2005).

Why is this happening? While myriad variables affect women’s poverty, research specializing in this issue identifies three causes (Mogadham 2005):

• The expansion in the number of female-headed households
• The persistence and consequences of intra-household inequalities and biases against women
• The implementation of neoliberal economic policies (with limited governmental intervention) around the world

While women are living longer and healthier lives today compared to ten years ago, around the world many women are denied basic rights, particularly in the workplace. In peripheral nations, they accumulate fewer assets, farm less land, make less money, and face restricted civil rights and liberties. Women can stimulate the economic growth of peripheral nations, but they are often undereducated and lack access to credit needed to start small businesses.

In 2013, the United Nations assessed its progress toward achieving its Millennium Development Goals. Goal 3 was to promote gender equality and empower women, and there were encouraging advances in this area. While women’s employment outside the agricultural sector remains under 20 percent in Western Asia, Northern Africa, and Southern Asia, worldwide it increased from 35–40 percent over the twenty-year period ending in 2010 (United Nations 2013).

Addressing Poverty

Click through these slides to learn about one popular solution for alleviating poverty.

Consequences of Poverty

Not surprisingly, the consequences of poverty are often also causes. The poor often experience inadequate healthcare, limited education, and lack of access to birth control. But those born into these conditions are also incredibly challenged in their efforts to better their circumstances because these consequences of poverty are also causes of poverty, which perpetuate an ongoing cycle of disadvantage.

In their analysis of global inequality studies, sociologists Neckerman and Torche (2007) have divided the consequences of poverty into three areas. The first, termed “the sedimentation of global inequality,” proposes that once poverty becomes entrenched in an area it is typically very difficult to reverse. As mentioned above, poverty exists in a cycle where the consequences and causes are intertwined and mutually reinforced. The second consequence of poverty is its effect on physical and mental health. Poor people face physical health challenges, including malnutrition and high infant mortality rates. Mental health is also detrimentally affected by the emotional stresses of poverty, with relative deprivation carrying the most robust effect. Again, as with the ongoing inequality, the effects of poverty on mental and physical health become more entrenched as time goes on. Neckerman and Torche’s third consequence of poverty is the prevalence of crime. Cross-nationally, crime rates are higher, particularly for violent crime, in countries with higher levels of income inequality (Fajnzylber, Lederman, and Loayza 2002).

The Underground Economy Around the World

What do the driver of an unlicensed “hack” cab in New York, a piecework seamstress laboring in her home in Mumbai, and a street tortilla vendor in Mexico City have in common? They are all members of the underground economy , a loosely defined unregulated market unhindered by taxes, government permits, or human protections. Official statistics before the worldwide 2008 recession posit that the underground economy accounted for over 50 percent of nonagricultural work in Latin America; the figure went as high as 80 percent in parts of Asia and Africa (Chen 2001). A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses the challenges, parameters, and surprising benefits of this informal marketplace. The wages earned in most underground economy jobs, especially in peripheral nations, are a pittance––a few rupees for a handmade bracelet at a market, or maybe 250 rupees ($5 U.S.) for a day’s worth of fruit and vegetable sales (Barta 2009). But these tiny sums mark the difference between survival and extinction for the world’s poor.

The underground economy has never been viewed very positively by global economists. After all, its members don’t pay taxes, don’t take out loans to grow their businesses, and rarely earn enough to put money back into the economy through consumer spending. But according to the International Labor Organization (an agency of the United Nations), some 52 million people worldwide will lose their jobs due to the ongoing and unevenly addressed worldwide recession. And while those in core nations know that high unemployment rates and limited government safety nets can be frightening, their situation is nothing compared to the loss of a job for those barely eking out an existence. Once that job disappears, the chance of staying afloat is very slim.

Within the context of this recession, some see the underground economy as a key player in keeping people alive. Indeed, an economist at the World Bank credits jobs created by the informal economy as a primary reason why peripheral nations are not in worse shape. Women in particular benefit from the informal sector. The majority of economically active women in peripheral nations are engaged in the informal sector, which is somewhat buffered from the economic downturn. The flip side, of course, is that it is equally buffered from the possibility of economic growth.

Even in the United States, the informal economy exists, although not on the same scale as in peripheral and semi-peripheral nations. It might include under-the-table nannies, gardeners, and housecleaners, as well as unlicensed street vendors and taxi drivers. There are also those who run informal businesses, like daycares or salons, from their houses. Analysts estimate that this type of labor may make up 10 percent of the overall U.S. economy, a number that will likely grow as companies reduce their number of employees, leaving more workers to seek other options. In the end, the article suggests that whether selling medicinal wines in Thailand or woven bracelets in India, the workers of the underground economy at least have what most people want most of all: a chance to stay afloat (Barta 2009).

Think It Over

• Consider the concept of subjective poverty. Does it make sense that poverty is in the eye of the beholder? When you see a homeless person, is your reaction different if he or she is seemingly content versus begging? Why?
• Go to your campus bookstore or visit its web site. Find out who manufactures apparel and novelty items with your school’s insignias. In what countries are these produced? Conduct some research to determine how well your school adheres to the principles advocated by USAS.

<a style="margin-left: 16px;" target="_blank" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4"

• Lopez, Humberto; Wodon, Quentin; Bannon, Ian; Lopez, Humberto; Wodon, Quentin; Bannon, Ian. 2004.  Rwanda : the impact of conflict on growth and poverty (English) . Social Development Notes ; no. 18. Conflict Prevention & Reconstruction. Washington, DC: World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/591321468777614741/Rwanda-the-impact-of-conflict-on-growth-and-poverty ↵

Introduction to Sociology Lumen/OpenStax Copyright © 2021 by Lumen Learning & OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Poverty Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty essay.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence”. – Mahatma Gandhi.

How Poverty is Measured?

For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute & relative poverty.  Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line based on the minimum level of income has been created & is called a poverty line.  If per day income of a family is below this level, then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of a family is above this level, then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty line is  Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

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Causes of Poverty

According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not natural, it is manmade”. The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-made. There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. Rising population is putting the burden on the resources & budget of countries. Governments are finding difficult to provide food, shelter & employment to the rising population.

The other causes are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure, political instability, etc. For instance- lack of employment opportunities makes a person jobless & he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the basic necessities of his family & becomes poor. Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs & it makes him poorer. Lack of infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake also contribute to poverty.

In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made poverty widespread. This is because all the resources & money is being spent in war instead of public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.

Ill Effects of Poverty

Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food & nutrition &his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling & proper nutrition. They have to work to support their family & this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated & is forced to live under unhygienic conditions in slums. There are no proper sanitation & drinking water facility in slums & he falls ill often &  his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

Government Schemes to Remove Poverty

The government of India also took several measures to eradicate poverty from India. Some of them are – creating employment opportunities , controlling population, etc. In India, about 60% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams & canals in our country to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for the cheap availability of seeds & farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened  ‘Ration shops’. Other measures include providing free & compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age, scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor people, etc.

Poverty is a social evil, we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child or we can utilize our free time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

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Poverty and hunger are inextricably linked. Poverty causes hunger, but not every person living in poverty faces chronic hunger. However, almost all people facing chronic hunger are also living in poverty.

Overcoming poverty will require holistic approaches to address the root causes. For example,  globally, millions of people are living with food insecurity and hunger because they simply cannot afford to buy enough food, cannot afford the farming supplies they need to grow enough good food of their own, or live in regions where climate change is affecting a landscapes ability to support viable agriculture. Rural households are typically the most affected by the consequences of poverty and hunger. In addition to causing hunger, poverty limits a rural community’s ability to invest in its own development. Often, rural girls living in poverty will be kept out of school to save money. This contributes to the gender disparity in the education, and between rural and urban girls. The lack of education leads to higher adolescent birth rates which can over-burden an already economically strained community, perpetuating a cycle of gender inequality, poverty, and hunger.

Pulling people out of poverty will not be accomplished through unsustainable and unreliable charity. It will require social justice to ensure basic human rights are met, leaving no one behind, while allowing everyone the opportunity to fulfill their right to a dignified and decent life.  For many counties and societies this will include building the capacity of women and men and may involve skills training, enhanced education, and knowledge mobilization to provide the necessary tools and resource to improve livelihoods and communities to build better futures for themselves and their children.

This assignment will look at food insecurity for a named country. The collected information will be based on a thorough literature review of the issues and pathways for solutions.

• Looking at your own country or a country of interest, assess and report on the food insecurity situation at the national level (what is the status of food security for this country).
• What is the food insecurity situation for this community?
• What are the current strategies being implemented (if any)? What is working and not working?
• What are some strategies and programs you would recommend to help pull this community out of food insecurity?

Introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Copyright © by Jocelyn Baker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The World Bank Group is committed to fighting poverty in all its dimensions. We use the latest data, evidence and analysis to help countries develop policies to improve people's lives, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable.

Around 700 million people live on less than $2.15 per day, the extreme poverty line. Extreme poverty remains concentrated in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, fragile and conflict-affected areas, and rural areas.

After decades of progress, the pace of global poverty reduction began to slow by 2015, in tandem with subdued economic growth. The Sustainable Development Goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 remains out of reach.

Global poverty reduction was dealt a severe blow by the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of major shocks during 2020-22, causing three years of lost progress. Low-income countries were most impacted and have yet to recover. In 2022, a total of 712 million people globally were living in extreme poverty, an increase of 23 million people compared to 2019. 

We cannot reduce poverty and inequality without also addressing intertwined global challenges, including slow economic growth, fragility and conflict, and climate change.

Climate change is hindering poverty reduction and is a major threat going forward. The lives and livelihoods of poor people are the most vulnerable to climate-related risks.

Millions of households are pushed into, or trapped in, poverty by natural disasters every year. Higher temperatures are already reducing productivity in Africa and Latin America, and will further depress economic growth, especially in the world’s poorest regions.

Eradicating poverty requires tackling its many dimensions. Countries cannot adequately address poverty without also improving people’s well-being in a comprehensive way, including through more equitable access to health, education, and basic infrastructure and services, including digital.

Policymakers must intensify efforts to grow their economies in a way that creates high quality jobs and employment, while protecting the most vulnerable.

Jobs and employment are the surest way to reduce poverty and inequality. Impact is further multiplied in communities and across generations by empowering women and girls, and young people.

Last Updated: Apr 02, 2024

Closing the gaps between policy aspiration and attainment

Too often, there is a wide gap between policies as articulated and their attainment in practice—between what citizens rightfully expect, and what they experience daily. Policy aspirations can be laudable, but there is likely to be considerable variation in the extent to which they can be realized, and in which groups benefit from them. For example, at the local level, those who have the least influence in a community might not be able to access basic services. It is critical to forge implementation strategies that can rapidly and flexibly respond to close the gaps.

Enhancing learning, improving data

From information gathered in household surveys to pixels captured by satellite images, data can inform policies and spur economic activity, serving as a powerful weapon in the fight against poverty. More data is available today than ever before, yet its value is largely untapped. Data is also a double-edged sword, requiring a social contract that builds trust by protecting people against misuse and harm, and works toward equal access and representation.

Investing in preparedness and prevention

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that years of progress in reducing poverty can quickly disappear when a crisis strikes. Prevention measures often have low political payoff, with little credit given for disasters averted. Over time, populations with no lived experience of calamity can become complacent, presuming that such risks have been eliminated or can readily be addressed if they happen. COVID-19, together with climate change and enduring conflicts, reminds us of the importance of investing in preparedness and prevention measures comprehensively and proactively.

Expanding cooperation and coordination

Contributing to and maintaining public goods require extensive cooperation and coordination. This is crucial for promoting widespread learning and improving the data-driven foundations of policymaking. It is also important for forming a sense of shared solidarity during crises and ensuring that the difficult policy choices by officials are both trusted and trustworthy.

Overall, with more than 60 percent of the world’s extreme poor living in middle-income countries, we cannot focus solely on low-income countries if we want to end extreme poverty. We need to focus on the poorest people, regardless of where they live, and work with countries at all income levels to invest in their well-being and their future.

The goal to end extreme poverty works hand in hand with the World Bank Group’s goal to promote shared prosperity. Boosting shared prosperity broadly translates into improving the welfare of the least well-off in each country and includes a strong emphasis on tackling persistent inequalities that keep people in poverty from generation to generation.

Our work at the World Bank Group is based on strong country-led programs to improve living conditions—to drive growth, raise median incomes, create jobs, fully incorporate women and young people into economies, address environmental and climate challenges, and support stronger, more stable economies for everyone.

We continue to work closely with countries to help them find the best ways to improve the lives of their least advantaged citizens.

Last Updated: Oct 17, 2023

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The International Development Association (IDA) aims to reduce poverty by providing funding for programs that boost economic growth.

High-Frequency Monitoring Systems to Track the Impacts of COVID-19

The World Bank and partners are monitoring the crisis and the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 through a series of high-frequency phone surveys.

Poverty Podcast

Join us and poverty specialists as we explore the latest data and research on poverty reduction, shared prosperity, and equity around the globe in this new World Bank Group podcast series.

Stepping Up the Fight Against Extreme Poverty

To avert the risk of more backsliding, policymakers must put everything they can into the effort to end extreme poverty.

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1 (page 1) p. 1 Introduction

• Published: July 2018
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Poverty is a global issue. There are people in every country with a standard of living that is significantly lower than that of others. Nevertheless, the absolute number of people living in poverty has decreased since 1990, especially in the poorest countries in the world. Therefore, there is reason to hope that further poverty reduction can occur. The Introduction outlines the pervasiveness and trends in poverty around the world; the many different causes of poverty that embed themselves in social, political, economic, educational, and technological processes, which affect all of us from birth to death; and considers why poverty matters. Overall, the economy suffers if systematic public policy does not address poverty.

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What Is Poverty?

Understanding poverty, aspects of poverty, discrimination and poverty, how poverty is measured, how to reduce poverty, the bottom line, what is poverty meaning, causes, and how to measure.

James Chen, CMT is an expert trader, investment adviser, and global market strategist.

Thomas J Catalano is a CFP and Registered Investment Adviser with the state of South Carolina, where he launched his own financial advisory firm in 2018. Thomas' experience gives him expertise in a variety of areas including investments, retirement, insurance, and financial planning.

• A History of Income Inequality in the United States
• How Education and Training Affect the Economy
• Work Experience vs. Education: What's the Difference?
• Unemployment Rate by State
• Can a Family Survive on the U.S. Minimum Wage
• The Economics of Labor Mobility
• Forced Retirement
• Predatory Lending
• Underbanked
• Underinsurance
• Which Income Class Are You?
• Definition of Poverty CURRENT ARTICLE
• Gini Index vs. Palma Ratio
• Lorenz Curve
• Human Development Index
• Criticism of the Human Development Index
• The Poverty Trap
• Conflict Theory
• The Disappearing Middle Class
• Hollowing Out
• Social Justice
• Economic Justice
• Welfare Economics
• Egalitarianism
• The Nordic Model
• Equity vs. Efficiency
• Martin Luther King's Economic Message

Investopedia / Laura Porter

The term poverty refers to the state or condition in which people or communities lack the financial resources and other essentials for a minimum standard of living . As such, they cannot meet their basic human needs.

People and families who live in poverty may go without proper housing, clean water, healthy food, and medical attention. Each nation may have its own criteria for determining the poverty line and counting how many of its people live in poverty.

Poverty is a socioeconomic condition that is the result of multiple factors—not just income. These factors include race, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and access to education, among others.

Key Takeaways

• Poverty is a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and other essentials for a minimum standard of living.
• Poverty-stricken people and families might go without proper housing, clean water, healthy food, and medical attention.
• Poverty is an individual concern as well as a broader social problem.
• Welfare programs are used by governments to help alleviate poverty.
• Poverty is the result of a confluence of factors, and not determined solely by income.

Poverty refers to the lack of adequate financial resources such that individuals, households, and entire communities don't have the means to subsist or to acquire the basic necessities for a flourishing life. This absence of means can result in struggles to obtain food, clothing, shelter, and medicine.

Poverty is both an individual concern as well as a broader social problem. At the individual or household level, not being able to make ends meet can lead to a range of social, physical, and mental issues. At the societal level, high poverty rates can be a damper on economic growth and be associated with problems like crime, unemployment , urban decay, poor education, and poor public health.

Governments often put social welfare programs in place to help lift individuals, families, and communities out of poverty. Some countries have stronger welfare states (social safety nets) than others. For instance, the United States tends to be much more individualistic and has relatively limited welfare programs. European countries, in comparison, have a much broader range of welfare programs and supports for those in need.

37.9 Million

According to the latest census, the number of people in the U.S. who lived in poverty in 2022, or 11.5% of the nation's population.

Poverty in the U.S.

Poverty status in the U.S. is assigned to people whose income falls under a certain threshold, which is set by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) . U.S. poverty rates, or the percentage of the U.S. population living in poverty, are calculated by the U.S.  Census Bureau .

When measuring poverty, the Census Bureau excludes the following people:

• Institutionalized people
• People living in military quarters
• People living in college dormitories
• Individuals under the age of 15

U.S. Poverty Thresholds

Each year, the Census Bureau updates its poverty threshold statistics. The table below shows the 2022 income thresholds for those in poverty. Each column represents the number of people living in a household under the age of 18.

• The poverty income threshold for a family of four with two children under the age of 18 was $29,678 per year.
• For two people over age 65 with no children under 18, the poverty threshold was $17,689 per year.

Poverty thresholds, as well as the number of children under the age of 18 in a home, are important because they help determine how government aid such as food assistance and medical care should be allocated. The measurement for those in poverty uses pretax income or income before taxes are taken out by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) .

Global Poverty

Poverty has decreased in developed countries since the Industrial Revolution . Increased production reduced the cost of goods, making them more affordable, while advancements in agriculture increased crop yields , as well as food production.

The international poverty line is a monetary threshold under which an individual is considered to be living in poverty. This figure is calculated by taking the poverty threshold from each country—given the value of the goods needed to sustain one adult—and converting it into U.S. dollars. The current international poverty line is $2.15 per day.

Many people around the globe still struggle to make ends meet. According to the World Bank , an estimated 700.6 million people lived in extreme poverty in September 2023.

It's estimated that more than 40% of the world's population lives in poverty, with the U.S. scoring the worst among developed nations. According to a report published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, communities of color are more susceptible to poverty because of "racist notions of racial inferiority and frequent denial of the structural forms of racism and classism" globally and within the U.S.

COVID-19 was responsible for plunging roughly 100 million more people into extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.

Poverty and Children

The impact of poverty on children is substantial. Children who grow up in poverty typically suffer from severe and frequent health problems. Infants born into poverty have an increased chance of low birth weight, which can lead to physical and mental disabilities.

In certain developing countries, poverty-stricken infants are nine times more likely to die in their first month compared to babies born in high-income countries. Those who live may have hearing and vision problems.

Children in poverty tend to miss more school due to sickness and endure more stress at home. Homelessness is particularly hard on children because they often have little to no access to healthcare and lack proper nutrition, which often results in frequent health issues.

What Causes Poverty?

Poverty is a difficult cycle to break and can pass from one generation to the next. It is often determined by socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, and geography.

Many people are born into poverty and have little hope of overcoming it. Others may fall into poverty because of negative economic conditions, natural disasters , or surging living costs, as well as drug addiction, depression, and mental health issues.

Other root causes of poverty include:

• Limited to no job growth
• Poor infrastructure
• Conflict and war
• High cost of living
• Social barriers
• Lack of government support

For those able to move out of poverty, progress is often temporary. Economic shocks, food insecurity , and climate change threaten their gains and may force them back into poverty.

Typical consequences of poverty include alcohol and substance abuse, little to no access to education, poor housing and living conditions, and increased levels of disease. Access to good schools, healthcare, electricity, clean drinking water, and other critical services remains elusive for many in poverty.

Heightened poverty is likely to cause increased tensions in society as inequality increases and, in turn, lead to rising crime rates.

As noted above, poverty isn't simply related to income levels. In fact, there are a number of factors that can push people to or below the poverty line. Discrimination is just one of them.

In some cases, governments may pass certain laws and regulations that prevent certain individuals or communities from accessing services, such as healthcare, education, or social services. These people may also be denied access to the labor market or housing, which can prevent them from reaching a suitable standard of living. In other cases, deep-rooted societal beliefs can isolate individuals, families, and entire communities.

Some of the most common groups of people who may experience this type of discrimination include:

• People living with HIV/AIDS
• Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Women, including single mothers
• Members of the LGBTQ+ community

According to the most recent statistics from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, poverty rates among members of the LGBTQ+ community have dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic. But rates are still higher than for those who don't identify as LGBTQ+. The most recent report showed that:

• 17% of LGBT people in the U.S. lived in poverty in 2021 compared to 12% in non-LGBT communities
• 21% of transgender people lived in poverty in the U.S. in 2021 compared to 20% of cisgender bisexual women
• 26% of LGBT families with children experienced poverty in 2021

The report also indicated that LGBTQ+ people of color—notably, "Black, Latinx/Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NH/PI), American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN), and Multiracial people"—are more likely to experience poverty compared to White or Asian Americans.

Poverty is commonly measured using income thresholds in many countries. Centralized bodies like the Census Bureau collect data and update the information on an annual basis based on inflation .

This information, which, in the U.S., is reported through the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) , generally includes income thresholds compiled from different sizes and types of families or households. Each family member in a household that falls under the threshold is considered to be in poverty, according to the Census Bureau.

Certain types of individuals are not included in the count, as their level of poverty cannot be determined. These groups include:

• People within certain group settings like prisons and nursing homes
• Individuals living in military barracks
• Those living in college dorms
• People under the age of 15 whose income cannot be determined

Keep in mind that using income thresholds is just one way that countries measure poverty.

The United Nations and the World Bank are major advocates of reducing world poverty. The World Bank has an ambitious target of reducing poverty to less than 3% of the global population by 2030. Some of the actionable plans to eliminate poverty include the following:

• Installing wells that provide access to clean drinking water
• Educating farmers on how to produce more food
• Constructing shelter for those in need
• Building schools to educate disadvantaged communities
• Providing enhanced access to better healthcare services by building medical clinics and hospitals

For poverty to be eradicated as the World Bank intends, communities, governments, and corporations need to collaborate to implement strategies that improve living conditions for the world’s poor.

Some of these strategies may include boosting socioeconomic conditions, fighting and eliminating systemic racism, establishing minimum wages that align with the cost of living, providing paid leave, and promoting pay equity .

What Countries Have the Highest Poverty Rates?

The countries with the highest poverty rates include South Sudan (82.30%), Equatorial Guinea (76.80%), Madagascar (70.70%), Central African Republic (68.80%), and Burundi (64.09%).

Which States Have the Highest Poverty Rates?

As of 2024, the states with the highest poverty rates were Louisiana (19.60%), Mississippi (19.40%), New Mexico (18.40%), West Virginia (16.80%), and Kentucky (16.50%). The District of Columbia's poverty rate is 16.50%.

Can Poverty Be Solved?

The answer to this question is complicated and nuanced. Social welfare programs and private philanthropy are some avenues through which to provide for those in poverty, along with access to essentials like clean water, good food, and adequate healthcare. However, more is needed. Programs that encourage and help impoverished individuals to obtain skills, jobs, and education are crucial for a longer-term cure.

Poverty is defined as the state or condition where people and communities cannot meet a minimum standard of living because they lack the proper resources . These include (but aren't limited to) financial resources, basic healthcare and education, clean drinking water, and infrastructure.

Living in the socioeconomic condition of poverty is a result of multiple factors such as race, sexual identity, sexual orientation, and access to education, among others.

Organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, which believe that poverty will continue to grow well beyond 2030, urge nations to fight it by implementing policies and regulations that can drastically improve the quality of living for all communities.

U.S. Census Bureau. " Poverty in the United States: 2022 ."

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. " Poverty Guidelines ."

U.S. Census Bureau. " Differences Between Available Surveys & Programs for Poverty ."

U.S. Census Bureau. " How the Census Bureau Measures Poverty ."

U.S. Census Bureau. " Poverty Thresholds ."

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. " Programs that Use the Poverty Guidelines as a Part of Eligibility Determination ."

The World Bank. " Fact Sheet: An Adjustment to Global Poverty Lines ."

The World Bank. " Global Poverty Monitoring Technical Note: September 2023 Update to the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) ."

Frontiers. " Poverty, Racism, and the Public Health Crisis in America ."

The World Bank. " Poverty ."

National Library of Medicine. " Distribution and Determinants of Low Birth Weight in Developing Countries ."

The World Bank. " A Child Under 15 Dies Every Five Seconds Around the World – UN Report ."

UNICEF. " Levels and Trends in Child Mortality ."

UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. " LGBT Poverty in the United States ."

The World Bank. " Ending Extreme Poverty ."

World Population Review. " Poverty Rate by Country 2024 ."

World Population Review. " Poverty Rate by State 2024 ."

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Module 16: Work and the Economy

Assignment: living in poverty.

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BIBL 375 Introduction to Expositional Tools

• Course Description

This course introduces students to the expositional tools needed for an in-depth study of Scripture for effective Bible exposition. Special attention is given to expositional tools in the Logos Bible Software program.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

Bible exposition requires the student to have access to the necessary tools as well as the knowledge to expertly apply those tools to the relevant resources in Bible study. Through the customized package of Logos Bible Software provided in this course, the student will be given access to a cutting-edge toolset as well as a library of electronic resources. The student may then retain access to this software, even after graduation, making these materials available in perpetuity for use in Christian ministry.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations.

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and  Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (5)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, there will be five of these held in this course. The student will create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. The thread must be at least 400 words and demonstrate a comprehension of the corresponding course material. In addition to the initial thread, the student will reply to the threads of at least 2 classmates. Each reply must be at least 200 words. For each thread, the student should engage with the course materials, namely the tutorial videos, support documentation, and resources within the Logos program itself. For each initial thread, students must cite at least one of these materials using appropriate Turabian formatting. (CLO: A, D)

Logos Tools and Skills Assignments (4)

Understanding Logos and appreciating the value it offers the Bible student requires one to explore the program to put the skills discussed in the course materials into practice. To this end, there will be four exercises designed to help the student get “hands on” in using the program. These exercises will correspond with the tools and skills discussed in the course materials associated with the week they are assigned. The student will be expected to follow the instructions for these exercises with accuracy and precision, and they will be asked to take screenshots of their work to demonstrate their completion of exercise tasks. (CLO: A, B, C)

Logos Tools and Skills: Layouts, Library, & Creating a Collection Assignment

This first exercise will be focused on the following three features/tools: layouts, the library, and collections. All three of these are essential when using the program. Layouts allow the Bible student to customize his or her digital workspace within the program according to different needs. The library will allow the user to gain access to the content that has populated the program, and it serves an entry point to finding particular resources. Collections are groupings of resources created by the user for the purpose of guiding searches into smaller sections of the library so as to make the search more productive and direct. The student should download the provided template to complete four parts that correspond with the features/tools from the Logos software (complete with screenshots as requested). The student will submit the template to Canvas.

Logos Tools and Skills: Notes & Clippings Assignment

This second exercise will be focused on the following two features/tools: notes and clippings. These are both excellent resources that will help the student organize his/her study materials in one centralized location within the digital workspace. The notes tool will allow the student to keep track of his/her study notes and access them in the Bible (or other book) in which he/she leaves them. The student might think of these as digital marginalia with more expansive capabilities. The clippings tool is also very helpful. Essentially, the clippings tool provides a way of creating digital notecards with quotes the student wants to include (or cite) in his/her academic papers or other research projects. The student should download the provided template to complete three parts that correspond with the features/tools from the Logos software (complete with screenshots as requested). The student will submit the template to Canvas.

Logos Tools and Skills: Factbook, Atlas, & Bible Book Explorer Assignment

This third exercise will be focused on the following three features/tools: Factbook, Atlas, and Bible Book Explorer. The Factbook is one of the staple tools in Logos that really makes Bible study more streamlined. It functions as an integrated reference tool that provides background information for events, things, people, and places in Scripture. The Atlas is another unique background tool. It provides interactive maps of biblical geography, including map legends that pinpoint details from the biblical narrative. The Bible Book Explorer is a less integrated resource, but it is especially helpful when it comes to some of the concerns of biblical exposition. The student should download the provided template to complete four parts that correspond with the features/tools from the Logos software (complete with screenshots as requested). The student will submit the template to Canvas. The student should refer to the instructions for information on citing items used in Turabian format.

Logos Tools and Skills: Searches Assignment

This fourth exercise will be focused on searching in Logos. There are many different ways to perform searches in Logos, depending on the kind of information the student needs. For instance, the student might use the search bar in the Library to find a book title, but he/she would not be searching within the content of the books. The student could use the search bar within an open book (i.e., inline search), and that would allow him/her find material in that resource alone. However, there are other search tools in Logos that allow the student to search in more extensive ways across many resources. This exercise will help him/her explore some of those features. The student should download the provided template to complete five parts that correspond with the features/tools from the Logos software (complete with screenshots as requested). The student will submit the template to Canvas.

Logos Reference Guide Project Assignment

The student is learning the Logos software in preparation for using it throughout his/her life in ministry. As such, it would be beneficial to create a personal reference resource that can not only be used during the student’s program but can be referenced at any point in the student’s future ministry. The student will create a Logos Reference Guide to meet this need. The Reference Guide should begin with a brief 1-paragraph introduction explaining what it is, the components of the project, and how it can be used. The guide will also include an outline of the features and tools in the software, orienting the student in where to find key features. Finally, it will include the completion of an index of frequently asked questions (and answers) about using Logos that can be referenced when completing future assignments. The student should be sure to download the project template from Canvas to use to for formatting his/her guide. The final paper should include proper grammar and syntax, be polished and professionally written, include a Turabian-formatted bibliography and citations as needed for any sources consulted (texts, ideas, images), and include a Turabian title page. The student should ensure that he/she follows the formatting of the provided template to complete the assignment. (CLO: A, D)

Quizzes (3)

There will be three quizzes throughout the course. For each quiz, the student will be tested on his/her ability to use the resources reviewed in the course material for the assigned module: week, though a working knowledge of material covered in previous modules is required for each quiz. The student is allowed to use notes and course materials to take each quiz. Each quiz will contain 23 multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer questions, and each will have a time limit of 50 minutes. The student will be allowed 2 attempts, and the highest score will count toward his or her grade. (CLO: A, C)

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• Prof. Esther Duflo
• Prof. Abhijit Banerjee

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• Globalization
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• Global Poverty

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The challenge of world poverty, introduction essay assignment.

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