Where are the poor?

Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America have been known to have large areas of chronic poverty. In the last decade, joint efforts by governments, authorized organizations, and charity groups have improved the situation for many, but there is still a lot of poverty in these areas.

Sub-Saharan Africa

This region is the poorest in the world. In West and Central Africa, one in every six people is severely poor. It is estimated that: Between 28% and 38% of the absolute poor population in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to be chronically poor, totaling between 90 and 120 million people.

Here are some more facts on the region:

1. Of the 22 countries in the region, 310million people live in its 12 worst countries.

2. 150 million live on less than 1USD a day.

3. Countries in this region include Angola, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, and Zambia

Latin America

In many parts of this region, particularly Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, there has been an impressive improvement in economic growth. Haiti and Bolivia are exceptions, as many of them are still in extreme poverty. Inequality levels are extreme and among the worst places in the world. 
It is estimated that between 30% and 40% of the extremely poor population in Latin America and the Caribbean is chronically poor: between 16 and 22 million people.

Source: The Chronic Poverty Report 2004-2005, CHAPT 3

South Asia

Particularly Southern and Western India, Bangladesh has been among the world’s chronically poor, although the headcount ratio has declined significantly. This region has extremely high populations with an estimated 135 to190 million people – including 110 to 160 million Indians, 9 to 13 million Bangladeshis, 10 to 15 million Pakistanis, perhaps 5 million Afghans, and 2 to 3 million Nepalese.

Rural areas account for three in every four people living on less than US$1 a day and a similar share of the world population suffering from malnutrition. However, urbanization is not synonymous with human progress. Urban slum growth is outpacing urban growth by a wide margin.
—Source: 2007 Human Development Report (HDR), United Nations Development Program, November 27, 2007, p.25.