Global Poverty Trends 1990–2025: East Asia’s Remarkable Progress and Africa’s Continuing Struggles

The World Bank Group’s Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) presents a compelling overview of global poverty trends from 1990 to 2025, measured at the $3.00 per day poverty line (2021 PPP). The data shows a dramatic overall decline in global poverty over the past three decades, but also reveals deep regional disparities — with East Asia and South Asia achieving significant progress while Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face persistent poverty challenges.

A Global Decline in Poverty

Globally, the share of people living below $3.00 per day has dropped sharply since 1990. The world poverty rate — represented by the dark blue line — fell from around 45% in 1990 to under 20% by 2020. This marks one of the most rapid reductions in poverty in human history, largely driven by rapid economic growth, industrialization, and improved education and health access in developing economies.

However, the chart also highlights that progress has slowed in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily reversed gains in several regions due to job losses, inflation, and disrupted supply chains.

East Asia and the Pacific: A Model of Success

The East Asia and Pacific region (pink line) stands out as the most remarkable success story. In 1990, over 60% of people in this region lived below the $3 poverty line. By 2020, that number had fallen to less than 5%.

China played the dominant role in this transformation, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty through industrial expansion, rural development, and inclusive growth policies. Countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia also contributed significantly to this regional decline.

South Asia: Significant Gains, Persistent Gaps

South Asia (light blue line) has also made major strides, reducing poverty from nearly 50% in 1990 to around 10% by 2020. India’s economic reforms, growth in the service sector, and social welfare programs helped lift millions out of poverty.
Still, inequality between rural and urban areas, as well as gender and caste disparities, continues to hinder complete eradication of extreme poverty in parts of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Africa: The Poverty Epicenter

The lines representing Eastern & Southern Africa (brown), Western & Central Africa (yellow), and Sub-Saharan Africa (orange) tell a more concerning story. While poverty has declined slightly, the pace of reduction remains slow and uneven.

As of 2023, these regions still have poverty rates above 40–50%, meaning nearly half the population lives on less than $3 per day.
Factors contributing to this stagnation include:

Political instability and conflict

Weak infrastructure and limited industrialization

Climate change impacts on agriculture

Rapid population growth outpacing economic gains

The World Bank data suggests that by 2025, Africa will account for over 60% of the world’s poorest population, unless urgent policy reforms and investments are made.

Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America: Moderate Levels of Poverty

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region shows moderate poverty levels, though recent conflicts and inflation have slowed improvement.
Latin America and the Caribbean, meanwhile, saw steady poverty reduction from the 1990s to mid-2010s, but progress has plateaued due to economic shocks and rising inequality.

Developed Regions: Near Elimination of Poverty

Europe, Central Asia, and North America (represented by red and light blue lines) have maintained extremely low poverty rates — generally below 5%. While these regions face other social challenges like inequality and cost-of-living pressures, extreme poverty is virtually eradicated under the $3 per day metric.

Future Outlook: 2024–2025 Projections

The 2024–2025 data points shown as “nowcasts” indicate modest global improvement, but the pace remains uncertain. Economic disruptions, inflation, and climate-induced migration could slow the path to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 1): No Poverty by 2030.

According to the World Bank, achieving this goal will require:

Expanding access to quality education and healthcare

Promoting job creation in sustainable industries

Strengthening safety nets and digital financial inclusion

Addressing conflict and governance issues in fragile states

Conclusion

The 1990–2025 poverty trends illustrate both historic success and ongoing struggle. While countries in Asia demonstrate that poverty reduction at scale is achievable, the persistence of extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and conflict-affected regions underscores that global prosperity remains deeply uneven.

The message is clear: ending poverty is possible — but only with targeted investment, inclusive policies, and global cooperation that ensures no region or community is left behind.