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Post-Pandemic Poverty Estimates for the MENA Region

In the fight against poverty, timely, reliable, and open data is our compass. Without it, we are unable to track progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals SDG1, design effective policies, or respond to emerging needs.

July 14, 2025
  • Poverty
  • Governance
  • Social Protection
  • Inequality and Shared Prosperity
  • Fragility, Conflict and Violence

What does it mean to live in a country that is 0.517 poor?

According to the UNDP’s Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), the Republic of Chad has a poverty score of 0.517. But what does this number mean? Is it a good score or a bad one? If you have no clue, you aren’t alone. While the concept of poverty is easy to grasp, quantifying it is actually pretty hard. The MPI is one of the latest in a long line of metrics to try and address this challenge.

July 8, 2025
  • Poverty

Leveraging web surveys to streamline food consumption measurement: Lessons from Lebanon

The World Bank piloted an innovative approach using a web-based pre-survey to prepare a recall-based food consumption module for the in-person 2022–2023 Lebanon Household Survey (LHS).

June 11, 2025
  • Poverty
  • Digital Development
  • Nutrition
  • Agriculture and Food
  • Social Protection

Most of the developing world is turning into a development-free zone

The world economy today is once more running into turbulence. This year alone, our forecasts indicate that global upheavals will slice nearly half a percentage point off the GDP growth rate that had been expected at the start of the year, cutting it to 2.3 percent. That’s the weakest performance in 17 years, outside of outright global recessions. Find out more in our latest Global Economic Prospects report.

June 10, 2025
  • Poverty

The World Bank’s new global poverty lines in 2021 prices

The World Bank revised global poverty estimates using new data on prices and national poverty lines from over 160 countries. The international poverty line increased from $2.15 to $3.00, raising the population in extreme poverty by 125 million in 2022. Middle-income country poverty lines also rose. The revisions show more people have escaped extreme poverty, but the world is poorer than previously thought. Extreme poverty has shifted from South Asia to Sub-Saharan Africa and fragile states.

June 9, 2025
  • Poverty

Further strengthening how we measure global poverty

To advance on the World Bank Group’s mission to end poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet, we rely on strong data, which is the bedrock for policy. Strengthening how we measure global poverty ensures we continue moving in the right direction. Find out the latest on how we're better measuring global poverty.

June 5, 2025
  • Poverty

June 2025 global poverty update from the World Bank: 2021 PPPs and new country-data

The Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) updated global poverty estimates up to 2023, including nowcasted estimates up to 2025. The update includes new survey data for several country-years, adoption of the 2021 Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs), and revised global poverty lines. Consequently, the global extreme poverty rate in 2022 is revised from 9.0% to 10.5%, increasing the number of individuals below the international poverty line from 713 to 836 million. Regional revisions show an increase in Sub-Saharan Africa's poverty rate from 37.0% to 45.5%, while South Asia's rate decreased from 9.7% to 7.3%.

June 5, 2025
  • Poverty

How improved household surveys influence national and international poverty lines

Countries rely on household surveys to measure poverty, with survey design significantly impacting data quality. Improved surveys capture more consumption, including durables and imputed rent, leading to increased measured consumption. In 12 countries, mean consumption rose by 46% after survey improvements. However, national poverty lines often increase, offsetting consumption gains and minimally affecting poverty rates. International poverty rates, based on a fixed line, may drop significantly. Countries face a trade-off between accuracy and comparability, which can be mitigated by strategic survey design adjustments.

May 30, 2025
  • Poverty

Jobs in MENA: How transforming pension systems can boost inclusion, equity, and prosperity

Pension systems globally have faced challenges in fulfilling their commitment to providing adequate financial security for individuals in their old age. In developing countries, pension coverage is often low, and benefits frequently fall below the poverty line.

May 29, 2025
  • Inequality and Shared Prosperity
  • Jobs & Development
  • Poverty
  • Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management
  • Social Protection

Gardens and Gender: What We Miss in Measuring Intra-Household Poverty

A global survey conducted by the World Bank, which included data from 89 countries, reveals that girls and women of reproductive age are more likely to live in poor households compared to men and boys.

May 28, 2025
  • Poverty
  • Gender

How can South Asia build resilience in these taxing times?

South Asia continues to grow faster than any other region in the world, but its prospects are dimming. Forecasts have been downgraded in almost all South Asian countries, and growth could be further set back by bouts of financial market turbulence, increasing trade restrictions, declining capital inflows, and reform setbacks. How can South Asia prepare for potentially taxing times ahead? Our latest South Asia Development Update provides recommendations.

May 5, 2025
  • Poverty

Who benefits from public spending? New evidence on pro-poor investments

Who benefits from public spending? New World Bank data on pro-poor social spending across 133 countries shows wide variation in how much education, health, and transfers reach the poorest 20%.

April 7, 2025
  • Inequality and Shared Prosperity
  • Poverty

Women can lead fishing nets recycling in Bangladesh

With more than a quarter of its population living in coastal districts, Bangladesh has always been culturally and economically linked to fishing, relying directly or indirectly on the blue economy for livelihoods.

March 28, 2025
  • Environment
  • Poverty

Fighting malnutrition in Burundi: Mothers of Light are rays of hope

In Burundi, malnutrition affects one in two children under five, but community-led initiatives are making a difference. Mamans Lumières - "Mothers of Light" - play a crucial role in preventing and treating malnutrition. These women educate mothers, promote balanced diets, and manage nutrition rehabilitation centers where malnourished children receive care. Supported by the IDA-financed Nkuriza Project, over 3,000 Mamans Lumières and 4,127 Community Health Workers have been trained. Their efforts contributed to a 4.9% reduction in stunting in project areas, proving that a multisectoral approach can transform children’s lives in Burundi.

March 19, 2025
  • Nutrition
  • Poverty

Understanding global poverty: What does being poor mean?

The blog titled "Understanding global poverty: What does being poor mean?" by Benoit Marie A Decerf explores the complexities of global poverty and the debates surrounding its measurement. It discusses the International Poverty Line (IPL), which defines extreme poverty as living on less than $2.15 per day. The blog also highlights criticisms of the IPL and compares objective and welfaristic poverty lines. Recent research suggests that while welfaristic poverty lines work well when preferences are similar, objective poverty lines might be better when preferences differ. The blog concludes that more research is needed to find a consensual list of basic needs.

February 12, 2025
  • Poverty

Lebanon: Lessons from social protection delivery systems during the pandemic

The government made a significant effort to complete the migration of the donor-financed National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP) into ESSNP in October 2024. The NPTP covered 75,000 poor and vulnerable households but ran out of funding by June 2024.

February 11, 2025
  • Digital Development
  • Social Protection
  • Poverty
  • Social Sustainability and Inclusion
  • Jobs & Development

Why developing economies need a new playbook

Developing economies should have no illusions about the struggle ahead: the next 25 years will be a tougher slog than the last 25. They need a fresh game plan, one that strengthens their capacity to fend for themselves and seize growth opportunities wherever they can be found. With the right policies, some challenges can be turned into opportunities.

January 22, 2025
  • Poverty

The Prosperity Gap incorporates a penalty for high inequality

Discover how the World Bank's Prosperity Gap index reveals inequality's impact on poverty reduction. Explore data-driven insights into shared prosperity and growth distribution challenges globally.

January 15, 2025
  • Inequality and Shared Prosperity
  • Poverty

Development acupuncture (Part II): Understanding spillovers can help to inform integrated policy solutions for multidimensional poverty reduction

This blog by Viktor Stojkoski, Luis Felipe López-Calva, Kimberly Bolch, and Almudena Fernández emphasizes the need for integrated policy solutions to address multidimensional poverty. Using Colombia and Mexico as examples, it shows how network science and the Policy Priority Inference (PPI) framework can help prioritize effective interventions. A simulation in Ethiopia illustrates the benefits of interconnected policies in reducing poverty. The blog advocates for a networked approach to policymaking to achieve systemic benefits and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

January 14, 2025
  • Poverty

Jamaica’s poverty rollercoaster: harnessing data to break the cycle

Jamaica’s poverty rate has shown dramatic fluctuations, shaped by economic and global crises. The World Bank's Poverty Assessment highlights data-driven insights and actionable strategies to address inequality.

January 13, 2025
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