Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

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By 2030, ending extreme poverty worldwide is a key goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than USD 2.15 per person per day, based on 2017 purchasing power parity. Over recent decades, the number of people living in extreme poverty has significantly declined. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point, reversing decades of progress in poverty reduction. For the first time in two or three decades, the number of people in extreme poverty increased by nearly 90 million.

Even before the pandemic, the momentum for poverty reduction was slowing. It is projected that by the end of 2022, 8.4% of the world's population, or up to 670 million people, would still be living in extreme poverty. The pandemic effectively wiped out about three years of progress in poverty reduction.

If current trends continue, it is estimated that by 2030, 7% of the global population—about 575 million people—will still be living in extreme poverty, with the majority concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A shocking phenomenon is that global hunger levels have regressed to those of 2005. Equally worrying is the fact that, compared to the period between 2015 and 2019, food prices in many countries have continued to rise. The dual challenges of poverty and food security have raised serious global concerns.

Why are there so many people living in poverty?

Poverty has multiple dimensions, including causes such as unemployment, social exclusion, and the vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, disease, and other phenomena that prevent them from engaging in productive activities.

Why should I care about other people's economic conditions?

There are many reasons, but in short, human well-being is interconnected. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth, undermines social cohesion, exacerbates political and social tensions, and in some cases, leads to instability and conflict.

Why is social protection so important?

Strong social protection systems are crucial for mitigating the negative effects of poverty and preventing more people from falling into poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has had immediate and long-term economic impacts on people globally. Despite increased social protection measures during the pandemic, 55% of the global population, or about 4 billion people, still had no access to any form of social protection.

To address the cost-of-living crisis, 105 countries and regions announced nearly 350 social protection measures** between February 2022 and February 2023. However, 80% of these measures were short-term. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, countries need to implement nationally appropriate, sustainable social protection systems for all.

What can I do?

Your active participation in policy-making can play an important role in addressing poverty. This ensures that your rights are protected, your voice is heard, knowledge is passed down through generations, and innovation and critical thinking are promoted at all ages to support transformative changes in people's lives and communities.

Governments can help create an enabling environment by generating productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and marginalized groups.

The private sector needs to play an important role in determining whether the growth it generates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction, by increasing economic opportunities for poor people.

Science has made significant contributions to poverty eradication. For example, it has enabled access to safe drinking water, reduced deaths from waterborne diseases, improved personal hygiene, and thus lowered health risks associated with unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation.