Poverty in the World: Causes, Facts, and Strategies to Fight It

POVERTY IN THE WORLD
The word poverty means lack of sufficient money to satisfy the basic needs. The World Bank
defines International Poverty Line and provides the related information. If per day someone lives
on not much than 1.90 international dollars (int.-$), reflects high degree of poor (Roser &
Ospina). Essentially the concept of poverty is correlated to welfare and bringing prosperity. In
the time span of last two centuries, due to expansion of industrial development and increased
production, the segment of extreme poor societies are getting shrink. This could be countable as
an outstanding attainments of humankind. It is also related with the health and education.
Previously very lesser people had exclusive living environments. In 1981 consistent poverty rate
was 52 % but in progressive way in 2005, only 25 % of world’s population were remain poorest
countries (Chen & Ravallion, 2010).
What do poor people think about poverty? In last two centuries all over the world is
measured that the level of consumption of poor people, is very low but love and enjoy their lives
as compared to the people have much upper consumption levels. Across the world Gallup
Organization requested people to tell about their living standard and income level. As a result it
found that people existing in poorer countries tend to be not much satisfied with their living
standards.
How poverty is measured? Poverty measurement relay on the monetary value of a
person's consumption but difficulty in measuring global poverty is that price levels are very
different in diverse countries. Extremely complicated causes are the main problem with poverty.
For the ending of poverty economic growth is not just enough. Developed and established
nations who have strong economies still have large number of individuals, struggling to survive.
For everybody the state of poverty is not the same. It differs by converting the consumption level
of individual in diverse country by the market exchange rate because cross countries have their
own different purchasing power. A person earns $3 in a single day but their financial capability
still needs to be compared to the rest of the population (The World Count). Which simply means,
a poor person in the US has a different poverty level than a poor person in Sub-Saharan Africa.
How education can reduction poverty?
 Educated people can get and generate employment easily.
 More educated family members are able to earn more income.
 Low investment in private sectors.
 Government initiative for development.
 Promoting industrialization, financial services, merger and acquisitions.

 Establishment of NGO’s and other community development organizations.
 Expansion of production, trade and transportation.
 Political stability for better results.
Some Facts about poverty –
 More than three billion people lives on less than $2.50 in a day (DoSomething.org).
 More than 1.3 billion people lives on less than $1.25, a day, which comes under extreme
poverty.
 Across the globe 1 billion children living in poverty.
 UNICEF says, poverty is the reason every day 22,000 children dies (UNICEF).
 805 million people cannot afford enough food to eat so now food banks are there to help
them.
 More than 750 million people do not have access to clean drinking water which causes
diarrhea and affect more than 842,000 people every year.
 Due to diarrhea and pneumonia which are preventable disease approximately 2 million
children die in a year because they are unable to afford the price of treatment.
 As of 2013, globally 21.8 million children of less then one year had not received the
mandatory vaccination of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
 Approximately 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity.
 World’s 80 % population lives on less than $10 a day.
 According to Oxfam, annually $60 billion are required to end the extreme poverty at
global level. Which is ¼ income of the top 100 richest billionaires.
 In the world hunger is killing people more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
combined.
Population Control – After 1970, reduction in poverty rates become so sheer that total
number of people living in high degree of poverty began decreasing as well. If a country’s GDP
raises constantly and population is growing even faster then even after average civilian will not
get any advantage or profit.
Just few years back China was the largest populated country in the world. In 1979, Chinese
Government announced “One-child policy”. Over following two decades the fertility rate
dropped from 2.7 births per woman to 1.4. This one-child policy intensified a preference for
boys over girls which became cause of toss out of baby girls and affected gender inequality
(Ramirez).