There’s good news in the fight to end global poverty.
The share of people considered to be living in the most destitute conditions is expected to drop below 10% of the world’s population this year, according to a new World Bank projection released over the weekend.
That drop will still leave an estimated 702 million people living on less than $1.90 a day, the benchmark considered the global poverty line. But the trend is positive news, especially in light of a renewed international push to end extreme poverty by 2030.
“This is the best story in the world today — these projections show us that we are the first generation in human history that can end extreme poverty,’’ World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement. “This new forecast of poverty falling into the single digits should give us new momentum and help us focus even more clearly on the most effective strategies to end extreme poverty.”
Eradicating global poverty is a central plank of the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) adopted at the start of this year's United Nations General Assembly. The goal has gotten the backing of major world leaders and celebrities, including Pope Francis, President Barack Obama, and Beyoncé, during the annual gathering of international officials.
Click here to find out how you can help make a difference in the fight to make extreme poverty a thing of the past.
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