The eradication of extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a central objective of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 per person per day according to the 2017 purchasing power standard, has decreased significantly over recent decades. However, the emergence of COVID-19 was a turning point that reversed this progress, increasing the number of people living in extreme poverty by approximately 90 million compared to previous forecasts.

Even before the pandemic, momentum towards eradicating poverty was slowing. Real-time projections indicated that by the end of 2022, 8.4% of the world’s population, or up to 670 million people, would still be trapped in extreme poverty. This setback erased nearly three years of progress in poverty reduction.

If current patterns continue, an estimated 7% of the global population — around 575 million people — may remain stuck in extreme poverty by 2030, with a significant concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Among the alarming and equally concerning findings is the return of hunger levels last recorded in 2005, along with a continuous rise in food prices across more countries compared to the 2015-2019 period. This dual challenge of poverty and food security remains a significant global concern.