Global Scans · Poverty · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Due to a deteriorating global economic outlook, more than 130 out of 189 countries will experience reduced income growth, with the average global GDP growth rate falling from 4.1 percent to 3.1 percent between 2011 and 2030. Almost all of the countries with large numbers remaining in extreme poverty in 2030 will be in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

• [New] Nearly 300 million workers continue to live in extreme poverty, earning less than US$3 a day, while informality is rising, with 2.1 billion workers expected to hold informal jobs by 2026, with limited access to social protection, rights at work, and job security. International Labour Organization
• [New] Mexico needs more investment to grow and to create quality jobs that will enable us to be more competitive in high value-added industries and to offer higher wages in order to reduce poverty and inequality. Mexico News Daily
• [New] Tackling poverty and related challenges such as the affordable housing emergency will be key priorities in 2026. European Economic and Social Committee
• [New] AI has the potential to benefit students in their education, but could also exacerbate inequality in educational outcomes, particularly for students from equity backgrounds. Mirage News
• [New] Rising inequality and declining living standards have posed a threat to democracy in several democracies, but so far not in Australia. Pearls and Irritations
• [New] Political fragmentation and public concerns over inequality pose risks to reform implementation, despite U.S.-Chile FTA advantages and EU competition for FDI. Ainvest
• [New] Oxfam's report, Climate Inequality Kills, found that the outsized consumption emissions of the world's super-rich 1% over four decades (1990-2030) alone are causing significant net economic damage, with low- and lower-middle-income countries being most affected. Oxfam International
• [New] Productivity improvements could worsen income inequality, emphasizing, We need to find ways for the benefits of AI-driven productivity improvements to be shared across society.
• [New] The world could witness avoidable hunger emergencies on an unprecedented scale - a scenario that would further stretch already overburdened humanitarian systems and deepen global instability. Caliber.az
• [New] The United Nations World Food Programme has issued one of its starkest warnings in years, saying it will be forced to prioritise assistance for just 110 million of the world's hungriest people in 2026 as global funding for humanitarian operations continues to slide. Caliber.az
• [New] Tech insiders in 2026 reveal AI's dark realities: hallucinations leading to errors, embedded biases perpetuating inequality, exploitative labour, environmental strain, privacy erosion, job displacement, and rising security threats like deepfakes. WebProNews
• [New] Elliot Crossan argues that if Labour wins in 2026 and refuses to transform the system generating extreme inequality, NZ society will continue to fragment. The Standard
• [New] Climate shocks set to deepen crisis: The global La Nina weather cycle will increase the risk of widespread flooding in early 2026, which would destroy food stocks and farmlands and push families deeper into poverty. The IRC
• [New] The European Commission will propose measures to strengthen the Child Guarantee by Q2 2026, in order to gear investments towards tackling child poverty. EPR
• [New] While 51 million people are projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030, billionaires grow richer than ever. Knowledge for policy
• [New] AI revolution benefits (productivity gains, medical breakthroughs, educational tools) will accrue overwhelmingly in the global North, widening inequality rather than bridging it. Tomorrow Is Possible

Last updated: 23 January 2026