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Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
 
 
 
 

Poverty exists everywhere, but there has been progress.    

 

Extreme poverty in developing countries fell from 28 percent in 1990 to 19 percent in 2002. Over the same period the number of people in developing countries grew 20 percent, to more than 5 billion, leaving 1 billion people in extreme poverty. If economic growth rates in developing countries are sustained, global poverty will fall to 10 percent by 2015—a striking success.

 

But more than 600 million people will still be trapped in poverty in 2015, most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and wherever poor health and lack of education deprive people of productive employment; environmental resources have been depleted or spoiled; and corruption, conflict, and misgovernance waste public resources and discourage private investment.

 

Even as the first target of the Millennium Development Goals appears in sight, the efforts to eliminate poverty must be renewed.    
 
 Poverty rates are falling, but progress has been uneven
 Share of people living on less than $1 or $2 a day (%)
  Sub-Saharan Africa   South Asia

 
In Sub-Saharan Africa the number of poor people has increased by a third, but accelerating growth in India has put South Asia on track to meet the goal.
 
  East Asia & Pacific   Latin America & Caribbean

East Asia has experienced a sustained period of economic growth, led by China, while growth and poverty reduction have been slower in Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
  Europe & Central Asia   Middle East & North Africa

 
The transition economies of Europe and Central Asia saw poverty rates rise in the 1990s and then fall. There and in the Middle East and North Africa consumption of $2 a day may be a more realistic limit of extreme poverty.
 

Source: World Bank staff estimates.
       
 

    
 
 Country by country progress on poverty
 Share of countries on track to achieve the poverty reduction target (%)
    

Source: World Bank staff estimates.
     

    
The Millennium Development Goals are intended to be met by all countries. This figure shows the share of countries in each region that are on track to achieve the poverty reduction target, based on available survey estimates. Some countries have already achieved the target. Those shown as on track could reach the 2015 target if they maintain their current progress. But those shown as off track or seriously off track are reducing poverty too slowly—or have even seen it increase—to achieve the first of the Millennium Development Goals.
 
 Malnutrition rates are predicted to fall everywhere— except in Sub-Saharan Africa
 Prevalence of moderate to severe malnutrition (% of children under age 5)

Note: Regions differ from the World Bank’s operational classification.
Source: de Onis and others 2004.

     

Malnutrition in children often begins at birth. Malnourished children develop more slowly, enter school later, and perform less well. The proportion of severely underweight children is falling, but fewer than 40 percent of the 77 countries with adequate data to monitor trends are on track to reach the Millennium Development Goal target. Faster progress is possible. Programs to continue breastfeeding and to improve the diets of pregnant and lactating mothers help. So do appropriate care and feeding of sick children, oral rehydration therapy, control of parasitic diseases, and vitamin A supplementation.
 
 Malnutrition—a persistent problem
Moderately and severely malnourished children
(millions under age 5)
 

In 2020 the number of malnourished children will have fallen everywhere, except in Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are likely to be more than in 1997.

      
       

Source: Tarmann 2002.
         
        Sub-Saharan Africa
Share of children under age 5 (%)
 

Malnutrition rates will fall too slowly in most of Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goal target, and they may rise in eastern Africa.

    
       

Source: de Onis and others 2004.
         
        Malawi
Share of children under age 5, by wealth quintile (%)
 

Child malnutrition remained unchanged in Malawi during the 1990s, with improvements in some groups offset by increases in others.

    
       

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys.
         
        Mali
Share of children under age 5, by wealth quintile (%)
 

In Mali average child malnutrition rates fell, but most of the improvement was among the wealthier part of the population.

    
       

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys.
 
 

         
 Text figures & Boxes
Poverty rates are falling, but progress has been uneven
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Asia
East Asia & Pacific
Latin America & Caribbean
Europe & Central Asia
Middle East & North Africa
   
Country by country progress on poverty

               

Malnutrition rates are predicted to fall everywhere— except in Sub-Saharan Africa

           
Malnutrition—a persistent problem
 
Moderately and severely malnourished children (millions under age 5)
Sub-Saharan Africa
Share of children under age 5 (%)
Malawi
Share of children under age 5, by wealth quintile (%)
Mali
Share of children under age 5, by wealth quintile (%)