India tops list of global poor


FE Team | Published: July 18, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00


MUMBAI, July 17 (Reuters): India tops the list of countries with the largest share of global extreme poor though the poverty rate in southeast Asia as whole saw a substantial fall from 1990 to 2010, a new United Nations report said. The poverty rate in southeast Asia fell from 45 percent in 1990 to 14 per  cent in 2010. Although poverty remains widespread in south Asia, progress in the region has been substantial, the Millenium Development Goals Report 2014 said.
However, India had the largest share of global poor at 32.9 per cent, more than countries like China, Nigeria and Bangladesh, said the report which was released here Wednesday. India also had the highest child mortality rate worldwide in 2012 with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday, it said.
In 2012, south Asia accounted for 2.1 million of the 6.6 million deaths in children under five worldwide and with 1.4 million children dying before reaching their fifth birthday, India had the highest child mortality rate worldwide, the report which tracks progress in achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) said.
The eight MDGs, with a number of sub-targets covering a range of poverty, hunger, health, gender equality, education and environmental indicators, were agreed by all countries as an outgrowth of the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, most with a due date of 2015.

Share if you like