The United Nations Development Program warned in its annual report that more than one billion people around the world suffer from acute poverty, half of whom are minors.
The report – which was completed by the program in cooperation with the research center “Oxford Initiative on Poverty and Human Development” – indicated that the poverty rate in countries witnessing wars is three times higher compared to those that live in peace.
The program confirmed that the year 2023 recorded the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II.
Since 2010, the United Nations Development Program and the Oxford Initiative have calculated the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, based on data from 112 countries in which 6.3 billion people reside. The index includes factors such as housing, sanitation, electricity, nutrition and education.
The program’s chief statistician, Yanshun Zhang, explained that 1.1 billion people suffer from multidimensional poverty, including 455 million in conflict areas.
According to the same report, the number of children and adolescents suffering from poverty around the world is about 584 million, and the percentage of poor people among minors in the world is 27.9%, compared to 13.5% among adults.
India is in the lead
The report adds that extreme poverty is more widespread in rural areas than in urban areas, to the point that rural areas contain about 84% of the world’s poor.
The majority of those described in the report as the poorest of the poor – 83% – are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
India tops the list of countries with the largest number of poor people, with 234 million people, followed by Pakistan with 93 million, Ethiopia with 86 million, Nigeria with 74 million, and the Democratic Congo with 66 million.
Director of the Oxford Initiative, Sabina Al-Kira, confirmed that wars and conflicts hinder efforts to reduce poverty.
She added in a statement to Agence France-Presse that the report “reveals that 40% of the 1.1 billion poor people live in conflict areas, and that the overall poverty rate in areas witnessing wars is three times higher than in areas without wars (34.8% compared to 10.9%).”
She stressed that what constituted a “shock” to the report’s authors was “the number of people struggling for a decent life while fearing for their safety,” as it reached 455 million. She called on the international community to “reduce poverty to zero by enhancing opportunities for peace.”
World Bank report
In the same context, a new World Bank report – issued a few days ago – revealed that the debts of the 26 poorest countries in the world – in which 40% of those living below the poverty threshold are concentrated – have become at the highest level since 2006.
The report – which was issued on October 13 – explained that these countries have become poorer than they were before the Corona pandemic, despite the countries of the world recovering from the effects of that pandemic.
The World Bank warned that international aid to poor countries has declined to its lowest levels since the beginning of the century, which further deteriorates their economic and social conditions and affects their ability to confront climate and political challenges.
The report indicated that two-thirds of the 26 poorest countries either suffer from armed conflicts, or face difficulties in maintaining order, due to institutional and social fragility that hinders foreign investment and hinders almost all exports.
In the same report, Ayhan Kosi, deputy chief economist at the World Bank, stressed that these countries need greater assistance from abroad, whether through the International Development Association or by increasing their tax revenues and improving the effectiveness of public spending.
The average debt of the 26 countries included in the report reaches 72% of their gross domestic product, an increase of 9 percentage points in 2023, and they allocate more than 10% of their tax revenues to pay the interest on their debts.
