According to the World Bank, the pandemic pushed about 71 million to 100 million people around the world into poverty in 2020. This number is predicted to increase to between 143 million and 163 million in 2021.
The number of poor people has increased in all regions, particularly in Sub-Sahara countries, Latin America and the Caribbean region. The proportion of extremely poor people has grown rapidly in low-income countries, reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty.
The pandemic has caused food prices to skyrocket while the unemployment rates have increased, worsening poverty. The results of a survey conducted by World Vision on 750 families in the Pacific region at the end of 2020 showed that, since the outbreak of the pandemic, one in five families had to skip meals or eat cheap food.
The situation is worse in Asia, with half of the 14,000 surveyed families stating that they had to consume cheap and low-nutrient meals, 36% of households have experienced reduced food intake, and 28% of households have skipped meals.
Before the appearance of hundreds of millions of “new poor”, the world already had about 1.3 billion people living in poverty. The outbreak of the pandemic has pushed the poor to continue to fall into abject poverty.
On the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17), the United Nations conveyed the message of "building forward together", not only meaning that no one is left behind but also that people living in poverty are actively encouraged and supported to be in the front, engaging in informed and meaningful participation in decision making processes that directly affect their lives.
Amid rising poverty and inequality, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that, unfortunately, international solidarity has fallen at the time when it is most needed. The evidence is that inequality in access to vaccines makes the pandemic more difficult to control, resulting in millions of deaths and prolonged economic recession.
The head of the largest cooperation organisation on the planet called on the world to make greater efforts to eliminate inequality and avoid the risk of default while ensuring that investments in post-pandemic recovery go to where they are needed most, thereby creating opportunities for the poor to rebuild better in society moving forward.
