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] Although MRF proximity does not independently predict PPRR, its role in bivariate analyses signals patterns of infrastructural inequality. Nature
• [New] If current trends continue, over 351 million women and girls could still live in extreme poverty by 2030. Focus 2030
• [New] Women and Girls Face Compounding Crises as Focus Shifts to Regional Conflict: With global attention turning to escalating tensions involving the US, Iran, Israel, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinians fear that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is being sidelined. Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
• [New] Just one month of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could cost the Arab region $194 billion, shrink its economy by up to 6%, and push four million more people into poverty. Just Security
• [New] 56% of the U.K.'s aid to countries in Africa will be slashed, leaving some of the world's poorest countries at risk of further poverty and disease. Virginia's home for Public Media
• [New] The United Nations committed 2 billion dollars in humanitarian assistance, while FIFA was expected to contribute 75 million dollars to support football related development. Next Century Foundation
• [New] The recent fighting in Tigray risks embroiling Ethiopia back into a civil war that endangers millions of lives, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis and destabilizing the broader region. House Foreign Affairs Committee
• [New] FAO is now calling for urgent collective action to strengthen the humanitarian response and implement sustainable long-term solutions, warning that declining funding could further weaken efforts to prevent a large-scale food crisis. WADR
• [New] AI is often viewed as a catalyst for widening wealth inequality, but rising wages at the top end of the economic spectrum could spill over to benefit all income levels. Yahoo Finance
• Given the debt burdens and austerity already imposed on so many countries in the Global South, hundreds of millions more people will be pushed deeper into poverty and hunger. Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
• Closing the gender digital gap could unlock as much as US$ 1.5 trillion in global GDP and it could lift 30 million women out of poverty. UN Women - Headquarters
• Globally, the nowcasted estimates project a decrease in extreme poverty from 10.4% in the current line-up year of 2024 to 10.0% in 2026. World Bank Group
• Globally, the nowcasted estimates project a decrease in extreme poverty from 10.4% in the current line-up year of 2024 to 9.8% in 2026. World Bank Group
• High food costs and persistent poverty continue to keep nutritious diets out of reach for billions worldwide, leading to micronutrient deficiencies that are linked to poor health, increased risk of disease, and poor cognitive development. National Today
• Countries already facing poverty, fragility and limited safety nets are projected to see the fastest deterioration in food systems, despite having contributed the least to global emissions. The Guardian
• The absence of humanitarian workers in Akobo will have serious implications for the population who rely on humanitarian support. Radio Tamazuj
• The US retreat from its longstanding tradition of humanitarian leadership is likely to create a vacuum that no other country could fill in the near term. Elcano Royal Institute
• The war in the Middle East could cause the worst disruption to lifesaving humanitarian work since COVID. UN News
• A humanitarian crisis is brewing that Israel has a unilateral opportunity to either prevent or exacerbate. Atlantic Council
• As fossil fuel-driven floods, storms and hurricanes hit more and more countries, and inequality widens as the world approaches its first trillionaire, negotiators are starting to wake up to the huge opportunity. Greenpeace International

Last updated: 10 April 2026