More Than One in Five Worldwide Living in Extreme Poverty
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup's self-reported household income data across 131 countries indicate that more than one in five residents (22%) live on $1.25 per day or less -- the World Bank's definition of "extreme poverty." About one in three (34%) live on no more than $2 per day. The World Bank Group recently set a new goal of reducing the worldwide rate of extreme poverty to no more than 3% by 2030, but Gallup's data suggest meeting that goal will require substantial growth and job creation in many countries. In 86 countries, more than 3% of the population lives on $1.25 per day or less.
Gallup's worldwide income data offer a new look at commonly agreed on poverty thresholds. These measures include the proportion of a population living on $1.25 per day or less (the average poverty line for the world's poorest 10 to 20 countries) and the proportion living on $2 per day or less (the average of the national poverty lines for developing countries). Poverty estimates reported in Gallup's database adopt these definitions based on self-reported per-capita household income data gathered between 2006 and 2012 and expressed in international dollars (calculated using the World Bank's individual consumption PPP conversion factor).
