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] For UN Women, investing in women means investing in society as a whole: if governments act immediately, extreme poverty among women could be reduced from 9.2% to 2.7% by 2050, which would provide a $342 trillion boost to the global economy by that year. UN News
• [New] Worst-case climate scenarios may push 158 million additional women into poverty by 2050. Ekam IAS Academy
• [New] Without urgent reforms, over 350 million women and girls may remain in extreme poverty by 2030. Ekam IAS Academy
• [New] 10% of women live in extreme poverty and that 351 million women and girls could still be trapped in it by 2030. UN News
• [New] Humanitarian funding shortfall: The global humanitarian funding landscape is facing deep cuts, with a 17% drop in official development assistance (ODA) projected for 2025, and a significant reduction in funding for food security and nutrition programs. The Joint Research Centre: EU Science Hub
• [New] The World Food Programme, the world's largest humanitarian food agency, estimates that it will reach almost 16.7 million fewer people in 2025 than in 2024, representing a 21% decrease. The Joint Research Centre: EU Science Hub
• [New] Humanitarian responders have reached just over 70% of the people in Cabo Delgado they had hoped to assist in the first seven months of this year. Acled
• More than 351 million women and girls could still be living in extreme poverty by the end of the decade if current trends persist. UN News
• Data shows that by the year 2030, there will be 351 million women and girls who live in the very worst forms of poverty around the world. UN News
• The World Bank's vision of a world free of poverty on a livable planet will depend on achieving water security for all. World Bank
• The sudden influx could destabilise Afghanistan, which is already grappling with poverty, unemployment, and the impacts of climate change. Platform for Peace and Humanity
• In many Global South countries, the state of healthcare is dire with high levels of infant and maternal mortality, crushing poverty and lack of opportunity, inadequate nutrition, severe shortage of resources, lack of access to clean water, and frequent disease outbreak. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Without sustained U.S. leadership, global health security and humanitarian response capacities face significant risks. PubMed Central (PMC)
• Save the Children is urging the global community to push for a ceasefire to allow safe access for humanitarian aid and to dramatically expand support that could help children return to school. The Eastleigh Voice
• Even former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, a past member of the incumbent Likud party, has warned of war crimes and the transformation of Gaza into a humanitarian disaster area. South China Morning Post
• The nonprofit Voluntario Global allows tourists to do charity work while on vacation in Buenos Aires, which might be ideal for helping children understand poverty in Argentina in a constructive way. Frommers
• An accelerated SDG push in social protection, the green economy, education, labour markets, innovation and effective governance can reduce global female extreme poverty from 9.2% in 2025 to 2.7% in 2050 and can unlock an additional $35.6 trillion in global GDP in 2050. UN DESA VOICE
• Progress in reducing global poverty has essentially halted: by 2030, nearly 7% of the world's population - nearly 600 million people-will still struggle in extreme poverty. World Bank
• The World Bank's mission to end poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet envisions a world where growth is not only robust but also broad-based. World Bank Group
• Comprehensive packages could lift 10% of global populations out of poverty within a decade. David Shapiro's Substack

Last updated: 26 September 2025