Global Study Warns: Sub-Saharan Africa Hosts 75% of World’s Extremely Poor Children

A major new study conducted by the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Department and UNICEF, with backing from the Government of Iceland, has delivered one of the most detailed assessments to date of global child poverty. Drawing on new household survey data from 152 economies, including 85 collected in the post-COVID-19 era, the research applies the World Bank’s recently revised international poverty lines to children under the age of 18. The results show that in 2024, around 412 million children, or 19.2 percent of the global child population, lived on less than $3 per day, down from 507 million a decade earlier. When assessed against the higher $8.30 line, which reflects the living standards of upper-middle-income countries, the picture is far more sobering: 1.4 billion children, nearly two-thirds of all children under 18, were classified as poor. The study underscores how children remain disproportionately trapped in poverty, accounting for more than half of those in extreme poverty despite representing only 30 percent of the world’s population.

Africa’s Lost Decade and Asia’s Gains

The global averages mask wide regional differences. Sub-Saharan Africa stands out as the starkest case, with over 311 million children living in extreme poverty in 2024, virtually unchanged from 2014. Although the region accounts for just 23 percent of the world’s child population, it now harbors three-quarters of all children surviving on less than $3 per day. The stubborn 52 percent poverty rate reflects rapid population growth, fragility, and weak resilience to shocks. By contrast, South Asia and East Asia & Pacific recorded dramatic progress. India, long home to some of the largest numbers of poor children, slashed its extreme child poverty rate by more than half in ten years, while Indonesia cut its rate from 31 percent to just 7 percent. Yet not all stories were positive. The Philippines experienced a spike during the pandemic, adding two million poor children in 2020, though recovery followed. The Middle East and North Africa region fared poorly, with rates nearly doubling from 7.2 to 13.3 percent, largely due to Yemen’s collapse. Latin America and the Caribbean saw modest reductions, but child poverty under the $8.30 line remained above 40 percent, reflecting entrenched inequality. Europe and Central Asia, meanwhile, kept rates among the lowest globally, below 2 percent at the extreme line and around 10 percent at the higher one.

The Impact of Fragility and Conflict

Perhaps the most troubling finding of the study is the increasing concentration of poor children in fragile and conflict-affected states. In 2014, around a third of all children in extreme poverty lived in such contexts; by 2024, this share had grown to more than half. Countries like South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen experienced catastrophic increases, with Sudan’s child poverty rates tripling over the decade. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened matters, raising the global number of children in extreme poverty to 443 million in 2020. It was only by 2022 that the world clawed back to pre-pandemic levels, marking what the report calls two “lost years” for children worldwide. Even in countries not in open conflict, economic crises triggered reversals. Zimbabwe’s decline in agricultural output pushed its child poverty rate higher, while Lebanon’s financial meltdown caused a surge in deprivation despite earlier progress.

National Success Stories

Amid these sobering statistics, the report identifies inspiring national success stories. Indonesia’s spectacular drop in child poverty was fueled not only by economic growth but also by targeted transfers and social programs that protected the poorest during the pandemic. Georgia cut its extreme child poverty rate by half between 2014 and 2023, while Mexico achieved a 44 percent reduction between 2016 and 2022, with labor market improvements and redistributive spending proving decisive. West African nations like Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal also showed that progress is possible in Sub-Saharan Africa when growth is inclusive. At the higher $8.30 line, middle- and high-income countries also delivered strong results. Malaysia cut child poverty by over 60 percent, while China, Romania, Croatia, Latvia, and Lithuania each reduced rates by half or more. These examples illustrate that policy choices, particularly investments in health, education, and social protection, can make a decisive difference in breaking cycles of poverty.

A Call for Urgent Action

Progress on child poverty is too slow, too uneven, and too fragile. While global child poverty has declined, the gains lag behind those for adults, underscoring how children remain disproportionately affected. Sub-Saharan Africa’s stagnation, combined with setbacks in fragile states and the uneven pace of recovery from the pandemic, shows how vulnerable progress remains to shocks ranging from conflict to climate change. At the higher poverty line, the persistence of mass deprivation even in middle-income regions demonstrates that growth alone will not suffice. The authors argue that eradicating child poverty is ultimately a matter of political will, requiring governments and the international community to prioritize children in poverty reduction strategies. They highlight the importance of social protection, equitable investments, and structural reforms that target inequality. With just five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the message is clear: without bold, sustained action, millions of children risk being left behind. Ending child poverty, the report insists, is not only a moral imperative but a policy choice that demands urgent global commitment.