 Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 333 million children, approximately 1 in 6 of the world's child population, live in extreme poverty.){kind=link}
In collaboration with the World Bank, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has released a report that highlights the troubling issue of child poverty globally.
The report, titled “Children Living in Poverty According to the International Hunger Line,” reveals that approximately 333 million children, or about 1 in 6 of the world’s child population, live in extreme poverty. This means they subsist on less than $2.15 per day.
While there is a glimmer of hope with a 13 percent reduction in the number of children living in extreme poverty from 2013 to 2022 (from 383 million to 333 million), the report also underscores the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has left 30 million children behind, causing disruptions in progress.
As the UN General Assembly meetings approach in New York, where discussions on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals will take place, the report serves as a warning. It emphasizes that achieving the goal of eradicating child poverty by 2030 is at risk if the current pace of progress persists.
One striking finding in the report is that the Sub-Saharan Africa region shoulders the heaviest burden of child poverty, with a staggering 40 percent of the world’s children living in “extreme poverty” concentrated in this region. Furthermore, the child poverty rate in Sub-Saharan Africa, which stood at 54.8 percent in 2013, has surged to a concerning 71.1 percent in 2022.
Given these disconcerting statistics, UNICEF and the World Bank jointly issue a call to action, urging governments and stakeholders to prioritize efforts to actively combat child poverty. The report underscores the urgency of addressing this critical issue to protect and uplift the world’s most vulnerable children.