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Opinion
– Eradicating extreme poverty for all people worldwide by 2030 is a fundamental objective of the Sustainable Development Goals. Extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $3 per person per day based on 2021 purchasing power parity, has seen notable declines in recent decades.
However, in 2025, 808 million people – or 1 in 10 people worldwide – were living in extreme poverty, an upward revision from previous estimates due to the updated poverty line. If current trends continue, 8.9 percent of the world’s population will still live in extreme poverty in 2030.
A shocking revelation is the resurgence of hunger levels to those last observed in 2005. Equally worrying is the persistent increase in food prices in a greater number of countries compared to the period 2015 to 2019. This dual challenge of poverty and food security raises a critical global concern.
Credit: UN
Why is there so much poverty?
Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion and the high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, diseases and other phenomena that prevent them from being productive.
Why should I care about other people’s financial situation?
There are many reasons, but ultimately, because as human beings, our well-being is linked to each other. Rising inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, generating instability and conflict.
Why is social protection so important?
Strong social protection systems are essential to mitigate the effects and prevent many people from falling into poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic had both immediate and long-term economic consequences for people around the world and, despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, 47.6 percent of the world’s population (about 3.8 billion people) is completely unprotected, including 1.4 billion children in 2023.
In response to the cost of living crisis, 105 countries and territories announced almost 350 social protection measures between February 2022 and February 2023. However, 80 percent of them were short-term and to achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement universal and sustainable social protection systems appropriate for all at the national level.
What can I do about it?
Your active participation in policymaking can make a difference in tackling poverty. It ensures that your rights are promoted and your voice heard, that intergenerational knowledge is shared and that innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformative change in people’s lives and communities.
Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and marginalized.
The private sector has an important role to play in determining whether the growth it generates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction. It can promote economic opportunities for the poor.
The contribution of science to ending poverty has been significant. For example, it has enabled access to safe water, reduced deaths caused by waterborne diseases, and improved hygiene to reduce health risks related to unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation.
The updated international poverty line of $3 led to a revision of the number of people living in extreme poverty from 713 to 838 million in 2022. (World Bank)
- • If current trends continue, 8.9 percent of the world’s population is likely to still live in extreme poverty in 2030 and only one in five countries will have halved their national poverty levels.
• For the first time on record, more than half of the world’s population now receives at least one form of social protection provision. Despite this milestone, 3.8 billion people remain without coverage.
• The share of public spending on essential services, such as education, health and social protection, is significantly higher in advanced economies than in emerging and developing economies.
• Ensuring basic social security floors in low- and middle-income countries requires an additional $1.4 trillion a year, or 3.3 percent of their aggregate GDP in 2024.
• Increased action and investment to improve economic opportunities, improve education and extend social protection to all, particularly the most excluded, is crucial to delivering on the core commitment to ending poverty and leaving no one behind.
Fountain: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025
IPS UN Office
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