UN Warns Nearly 9% of World Could Still Live in Extreme Poverty by 2030

The United Nations has voiced deep concern about global poverty trends, cautioning that progress towards eradicating extreme poverty is off track and that an estimated 8.9 per cent of the world’s population could still be living in severe poverty by 2030 if current patterns continue.

In its latest statement shared on Monday, the UN highlighted that around 808 million people worldwide were living in extreme poverty in 2025, based on the updated international poverty line of less than US $3.00 per person per day (adjusted to 2021 purchasing power parity). While decades of efforts have markedly reduced poverty, the pace of decline has slowed significantly, jeopardising the Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate extreme poverty by the end of the decade.

The global body also sounded the alarm over rising hunger levels and widening inequality, noting that many countries are struggling with persistent high food prices and limited social protection systems. The UN stressed that poverty’s impacts extend far beyond income alone, affecting access to basic services, social inclusion and economic opportunity.

To reverse the trend, the agency urged stronger national policies and coordinated international efforts that create job opportunities, expand social protections and tackle inequalities so that vulnerable communities are not left behind.

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