Extreme poverty
▼ 85% since 1950
8.5%
from 55% in 1950
Share of the world living on less than ~$2.15/day. About half the world was in extreme poverty in 1950; today it's fewer than one in ten.
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It rarely makes the front page, because progress is slow and bad news is loud. But look at it decade by decade and the trend is unmistakable: across the long arc, humanity is getting healthier, safer, more literate and less poor. Here's the proof — in the numbers.
Share of the world living on less than ~$2.15/day. About half the world was in extreme poverty in 1950; today it's fewer than one in ten.
Share of children who die before their fifth birthday. It has fallen in every decade since 1950 — from nearly 1 in 4 to fewer than 1 in 25.
Source: UN IGME / World Bank
The number of children under five who die each year, most from preventable causes — down roughly three-quarters since 1950.
Source: UN IGME / UNICEF
How long a newborn can expect to live, worldwide. It has risen in nearly every decade since 1950.
Source: UN WPP / Our World in Data
Share of adults who can read and write. It has climbed from roughly a third of the world in 1950 to nearly nine in ten today.
Source: UNESCO / Our World in Data
Mothers who die from pregnancy or childbirth, per 100,000 births. Down by more than 40% since 1990 as care has reached more women. (Reliable global data starts in 1990.)
Source: WHO / UN MMEIG
Share of infants getting the standard three-dose DTP vaccine. From just 1 in 5 in 1980 to more than 4 in 5 today. (The global program began in the 1970s.)
Source: WHO / UNICEF
Share of the world with electricity at home. More than two billion people have gained access since 1990. (Reliable global data starts in 1990.)
Source: World Bank / Our World in Data