Poverty

The latest estimates available, for the year 2004, show that 2.6 billion people had to live on less than $2 a day (PPP*) . This is almost half of the population of all developing countries. Many of them, 985 million people, live in extreme poverty with less than $1 a day (PPP*) to spend.

The poorest regions are Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa 72 percent of the population is living on less than $2 a day and 41 percent, on less than $1 a day. In South Asia the figures are 81 percent and 36 percent respectively.

* PPP = Purchasing Power Parity: $2 PPP is the purchasing power of $2 in the USA in a given base year (1993). This means that the actual income of the 2.5 billion poor and the 1 billion extremely poor in developing countries is even much less than $2 and $1 in terms of nominal exchange rates.

Hunger

As estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) for the period 2001-2003, 854 million people were chronically undernourished: 820 million in developing countries, 25 million in transition countries and 9 million in the industrialized countries.

Nearly one-third of all children in developing countries are estimated to be underweight of stunted. Under-nutrition is the underlying cause of over 55 percent of all child deaths.

Since 1990-1992 the undernourished population in developing countries has declined by only 3 million people: from 823 million to 820 million in 2001-2003. Taking into account population growth, the proportion of undernourished people has dropped from 20 percent to 17 percent.

Child mortality

Every year over 10 million children in developing countries die before the age of five. Undernourishment is responsible for 55 percent of all under five deaths. According to estimates of UNICEF 5.6 million children under the age of five die each year because of under-nutrition.

In low-income countries the average under-five mortality rate in 2002 was 122 deaths per 1,000 live births, in high-income countries the rate was less than 7.

Primary school completion

Millions of children don't have access to primary education or don't complete primary school. Globally 17 percent of the children don't finish primary school, in Sub-Saharan Africa almost half of the children, 42 percent.

The primary school completion rate rose between 2000 and 2005 from 78 percent to 83 percent. However, research on learning levels suggest that the rapid expansion in enrollment in developing countries has not always led to increases in learning. The quality of outcomes is critical.

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Sources

World Bank - World Development Indicators 2007
World Bank - Global Monitoring Report 2007
FAO - The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2006
UNICEF - Progress for Children

Facts and figures on poverty and hunger > more information