Africa gains in health, education, but numbers of poor grow

Africa’s strong economic growth has contributed to improving people’s health and education in the past 20 years as well as major reductions in poverty in several countries, but a rapid rise in population has led to increases in the overall number of extremely poor, the World Bank Group said in a comprehensive report on poverty in the region.

The report estimates that 388 million people – or 43 per cent of all people living in Sub-Saharan Africa – lived in extreme poverty in 2012, the last year that figures were available, a decrease of five million people from 2011. In a separate report, the Global Monitoring Report, released earlier this month, the World Bank projected that 347 million people are living in extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa this year. While the percentage of Africans living in poverty has decreased over time, the sheer numbers have grown. An estimated 284 million Africans lived in poverty in 1990.

The report, “Poverty in a Rising Africa”, was released in Ghana at a high-level event commemorating End Poverty Day, which was attended by the bank’s President Jim Yong Kim, leaders, and civil societies.

The report called for much better measurement of poverty, saying that data gaps make it extremely difficult for policymakers to target programmes for the poor. Last week, the World Bank Group pledged to work with developing countries and international partners to conduct household surveys once every three years in each of the 78 poorest countries. The initiative, which will be fully launched by 2020, is estimated to cost $300 million every three years.

“Africa’s economy is on the rise, but to avoid bypassing vulnerable people – whether in rural areas or in fragile states – we must improve how we measure human progress. Better data will tell us whether we’re delivering effective programs that will help end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity among the poorest,” said Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President.