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Poverty

The link between poverty and premature death and disability has been long evident, but the definition of who is poor and the global distribution of the extremely poor are changing. Today there are fewer poor and fragile states and most of poor people live in stable, middle-income nations. This section examines the ways in which ill-health and poverty are now interacting and reinforcing each other.

Poverty

$1.90

World Bank threshold per diem for extreme poverty

World Bank threshold per diem for extreme poverty World Bank threshold per diem for extreme poverty

6 of 10

Extremely poor people are in middle-income nations

Extremely poor people are in middle-income nations Extremely poor people are in middle-income nations

1.9 B

Billion people living in extreme poverty, 1990

Billion people living in extreme poverty, 1990 Billion people living in extreme poverty, 1990

589 M

Number of people living in extreme poverty, 2019

Number of people living in extreme poverty, 2019 Number of people living in extreme poverty, 2019

Featured

Poverty
A woman wears a mask during a Black Lives Matter protest in Centenary Square in Birmingham, England following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, on June 4, 2020. The picture shows a woman in a striking mask adorned with the words Floyd Life "Mattered." REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

We Need a Pro-Poor and Pro-Black Response to COVID-19
by Thoai Ngo  - June 10, 2020

Concentrate testing in poor Black and Latinx neighborhoods now and plan for an equitable distribution of future vaccines

Poverty
Peter Salama visits a makeshift school at Kule Camp in the Gambella region of Ethiopia on August 12, 2014, when he was the Country Representative of UNICEF Ethiopia. Picture shows Dr. Salama wearing a blue hat talking to several boys in a classroom. They are all smiling. UNICEF/Jiro Ose/UNI170605

A Tribute to Peter Salama, a Champion of People in Fragile States and War-Torn Places

by Richard Brennan, David Nabarro

Original director of WHO Health Emergencies Program, he fought against Ebola and for Universal Health Coverage worldwide

Poverty
Two ends of the age spectrum: Thenjiwe Madzinga, 66, and grandson Thina Gxotelwa in a small room they share in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township on Feb. 23, 2010. Madzinga cares for five grandchildren. Picture shows the pair sitting on a bed in a small room with bright green walls. She is looking lovingly at him, and he is looking at her and smiling, perhaps embarrassed at the camera. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

Universal Health Coverage—A Citizens’ Guide to Benefits

by Ruth E. Levine

Realizing this high-level UN priority in low-income settings will demand evidence-based decisions and grass-roots action

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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa gives a speech at the Heroes' Day Commemoration in Harare, Zimbabwe, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on August 10, 2020. GETTY IMAGES/Wanda/Xinhua
Poverty

Coronavirus in Zimbabwe

by Chido Dziva Chikwari

The country is facing an unprecedented public health catastrophe—and action is required to prevent more needless deaths

Demonstrators from the Black Lives Matter movement march through central London on July 10, 2016, during a demonstration against the killing of black men by police in the United States. The photo shows a huge crowd with people facing the camera with homemade signs, fists raised, and shouting slogans. AFP/Daniel Leal-Olivas via Getty Images
Poverty

What Global Health Can Learn From Black Lives Matter

by Sylvia Sax

Shifting power from distant, donor-country elites to local aid recipients will lead to stronger global health systems

With the dome of the U.S. Capitol in the background, a homeless man named Damu stretches on the National Mall in Washington, U.S., May 27, 2020. The photo is striking, with a man in silhouette standing on a hill with his legs spread wide. in the background slightly to his left is the congressional building. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Poverty

Homelessness in Times of Coronavirus—A Way Forward for the United States

by Parkes Kendrick, Herbie Duber

COVID-19 challenges us to reform affordable housing and social services that support people experiencing homelessness