The realities of global poverty are very stark. About a billion people around the world - one in six - are now considered chronically hungry, with 24,000 people dying daily of hunger-related causes.
Almost three billion people live on less than $2 a day, more than a billion of which try to survive on less than $1 a day.
More than 16,000 children are dying every day from hunger-related causes - that's one every five seconds.
The global economic downturn is further increasing poverty. Aid, investment and remittances to poor countries are all falling, leaving many vulnerable people without jobs or enough money to feed their families. Many developing country governments don't have the means to support their poorest people or implement big fiscal measures to tackle the crisis. The World Bank estimates the economic crisis could trap an additional 53 million people in poverty.
While aid alone is not enough for the poorest countries to escape the poverty trap
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!