Poverty
Poverty is the condition in which individuals or households lack sufficient financial resources to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, healthcare, education and sanitation. It is measured through various metrics, including absolute poverty lines that define minimum subsistence thresholds and relative poverty measures that compare income or consumption levels within a population. The World Bank's international poverty line, currently set at $2.15 a day in purchasing power parity terms, provides a global benchmark for extreme poverty. Poverty manifests in multiple dimensions beyond income, encompassing limited access to services, social exclusion, vulnerability to shocks and reduced opportunities for economic advancement. In developing economies, poverty is often concentrated in rural areas and among informal workers, though urban poverty is rising in rapidly growing cities. Structural drivers include unemployment, low wages, inadequate education, poor health, discrimination and lack of productive assets. Poverty reduction is a central development objective, pursued through economic growth strategies, social protection programmes, investment in human capital and targeted interventions for marginalised groups. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty rates remain elevated despite recent progress, with climate shocks, conflict and weak institutions hampering efforts to lift populations out of deprivation. Measuring and addressing poverty is essential for achieving inclusive growth and meeting international development goals.
Poverty Updates
How the Iran war could derail Somalia’s fragile recovery
By: ISS, Institute for Security Studies 14th May 2026 Somalia faces more than spillover effects – these shocks are pushing the country’s long-term recovery further out of reach. The United... →
GCRO, Mistra launch Gauteng 2035 scenarios report
By: Natasha Odendaal 14th May 2026 A new report has outlined three scenarios for South Africa’s most populous province by 2035. The 'Finding Our Rhythm: Pathways and Futures for the... →
Mozambique’s economy is failing: the tough policy choices that need to be made urgently
6th May 2026 Mozambique is not in total crisis – but it is faltering. There has been no currency crash, no hyperinflation, no bank run. But over the past decade... →
Ramaphosa warns global inequality entrenches poverty, calls for independent panel to be recognised 
By: Thabi Shomolekae 24th April 2026 President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday declared global inequality as one of the most pressing threats to human progress, warning that it stunts... →
Congo Republic's Sassou set to extend long rule, focus on succession
By: Reuters 10th March 2026 Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso looks set to extend his decades-long rule in elections on Sunday, even as his advanced age and a term... →
Mozambique floods: why the most vulnerable keep paying the highest price
9th February 2026 When floods submerged parts of Mozambique after heavy rains in 2000, a baby girl was born in a tree, where her mother clung as the Limpopo river... →
Anti-poverty programmes can change how people see the state and each other
5th February 2026 When floodwaters washed away Woudou Oumar’s home in northern Cameroon, he and his family lost not only shelter but hope. Then a... →
Empowering Women through Care Work Recognition: Oxfam in Ethiopia
9th January 2026 Across the globe, unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) forms the bedrock of our communities and economies. It's the unseen labor that sustains... →
Nigeria has a high poverty rate – what this has to do with ethnic conflicts
7th January 2026 Nigeria has endured decades of violent insurgencies and ranks 6th on the 2025 Global Terrorism Index. Numerous people have been killed and-millions... →
SA reconciliation barometer
10th December 2025 The 2025 South African Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) was conducted one year into the first term of the Government of National Unity (GNU),... →
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