Poverty threshold: about 830 million people in the world are in extreme poverty
In 2025, about 830 million people in the world live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank. For comparison, 35 years ago there were almost three times as many of them — about 2.3 billion. This improvement is due to economic growth in East and South Asia. The poorest countries were South Sudan, Burundi and Eritrea, while Singapore and Luxembourg were the richest. How to improve the welfare of citizens — in the material of Izvestia.
How many people in the world live in extreme poverty
From 1990 to 2025, the number of people living in extreme poverty worldwide decreased by almost 2.7 times, from 2.3 billion to 831 million, according to the most recent World Bank report (Izvestia analyzed it). The editorial board sent a request to an international organization.
Extreme poverty is a situation in which a person does not have enough income to meet the most basic needs, said Ekaterina Kosareva, Managing Partner of the VMT Consult agency. In order to determine how many people fall into this category, the World Bank estimates the average person's spending per day. In 2025, he set the target at $3 (about 235 rubles). If a citizen has no more than this amount per day, then, according to the world organization, he is below the poverty threshold.
Over the past 35 years, the number of such people has decreased significantly. The article notes that this is due to the steady economic growth in East and South Asia. Nevertheless, the rate of decline has been slowing in the last decade.
Extreme poverty is now predominantly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and in places affected by conflict and instability. Moreover, on a global scale, extreme poverty remains predominantly concentrated in rural areas.: About three quarters of such people live there.
The causes of persistent poverty in different countries are complex. Constant conflicts play an important role in such a situation, Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global, recalled. For example, as in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia.
In addition, this level remains due to high unemployment and low labor productivity, which are associated with the lack of technology, Ekaterina Kosareva noted.
In the poorest countries, where social policy is poorly developed, the birth rate remains high, which is why there are many dependents per family, the expert continued. At the same time, improving access to basic medical care reduces child and senile mortality, which increases the problem of overpopulation, she said.
Climatic conditions play an important role. The economies of many developing countries, especially agricultural ones, are critically dependent on the weather, Ekaterina Kosareva explained. According to her, droughts, floods and pest infestations in the absence of modern protective equipment and fertilizers lead to crop loss and directly undermine the standard of living of the population.
Some countries also cannot improve their standard of living because their governments are accustomed to relying on grants and humanitarian aid from outside, Natalia Milchakova believes. Many developing countries that freed themselves from colonial dependence in the last century were unable to provide their citizens with basic conditions to meet basic needs, the expert said.
Which countries have become the poorest and richest
Sub-Saharan Africa remains a key hub for the intersection of poverty and instability, accounting for 71% of the world's population living in extreme poverty (about 590 million), according to a World Bank report. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo form a predominantly global picture of poverty.
According to forecasts of the international organization, by 2030 about half of the world's extremely poor population will live in unstable states in the region. At the same time, these two countries will account for a quarter of them.
In addition, African South Sudan (85% of the population), Burundi (81%), Eritrea (74%), Malawi (73%), Mozambique (69%), Madagascar (66%), Central African Republic (59%), Zambia (55%) are among the leaders in terms of poverty.), as well as Yemen (71%), said Arina Surkova, an expert at the RUDN University Faculty of Economics.
At the same time, according to the Global Finance rating, among the richest are mainly European countries.: Luxembourg, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland. The top also includes Asian Singapore, Macau, Qatar and Brunei Darussalam. South American Guyana and the United States were among the top ten.
The rapid economic recovery in countries such as China, India, and Indonesia was largely due to technological development and the influx of both foreign and domestic capital. Over the past 35 years, this has significantly reduced the proportion of the population living below the poverty line, primarily in rural areas, Natalia Milchakova explained.
It is expected that by 2030, the proportion of the poor in the world will be halved and social protection measures for vulnerable segments of the population will be introduced, Arina Surkova noted.
As noted in the World Bank report, this is possible only through large-scale investments in human capital (for example, reducing unemployment) and infrastructure. In addition, poverty reduction is possible through inclusive economic growth, in which case all segments of society benefit from increased incomes. And at the same time, economic inequality is decreasing.
At the same time, countries should develop and reduce their dependence on loans from global financial institutions, Natalia Milchakova added.
How is the poverty rate changing in Russia
In the Global Finance ranking of the poorest countries, Russia ranks 143rd (out of 190), meaning it is among the top 50 most financially stable countries.
In Russia, an income of 16,980 rubles was considered the poverty line in the third quarter of 2025. The methodology for calculating this level is set by the Government. According to Rosstat, the number of people with incomes below the subsistence level decreased from 11.8 million to 9.4 million in July–September. In other words, the poverty rate decreased from 8% to 6.5% in the third quarter.
Over the past 25 years, our country has reduced the proportion of the poor by almost four times — at the beginning of the century it was about 29%, Natalia Milchakova recalled. According to her, this happened thanks to an effective social policy: targeted support for families with children and vulnerable groups, as well as the development of national projects.
In addition, the minimum wage and pensions are increased annually in the Russian Federation. For example, in 2025, old-age benefits for the working elderly were indexed. And in 2026, the minimum wage will increase by more than 20% to 27,093 rubles, with projected inflation of about 6%.
On December 11, President Vladimir Putin stressed at a meeting on economic issues that by 2030 the poverty target would be less than 7%, and by 2036 it would be below 5%.
— The increase in salaries in the public sector and in other sectors stimulates domestic demand, the development of own industries and services, and has a positive impact on economic dynamics in general. Such growth, structural changes in employment, and the formation of a high—wage economy are the basic conditions for reducing poverty and inequality in society, and for improving the well-being of Russian families," the head of state stressed.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Energy and clarified what the authorities want to do to reduce poverty in the country.
For example, according to Natalia Milchakova, in order to accelerate this trend, it is worthwhile to introduce a single social benefit for those in need under a social contract, increase unemployment benefits, as well as scholarships for students and graduate students to a living wage.
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