Poverty & Hunger
The United Nations defines poverty as the inability of having choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services." As of 2019, most people on the planet live in poverty: (in Purchasing Power Parity dollars) 85% live on less than $30 per day, two-thirds live on less than $10 per day, and 10% live on less than $1.90 per day (extreme poverty).
Hunger is defined as a condition in which a person cannot eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience. The most extreme form of hunger, when malnutrition is widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation through lack of access to sufficient, nutritious food, leads to a declaration of famine.
The United Nations defines poverty as the inability of having choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services." As of 2019, most people on the planet live in poverty: (in Purchasing Power Parity dollars) 85% live on less than $30 per day, two-thirds live on less than $10 per day, and 10% live on less than $1.90 per day (extreme poverty).
Hunger is defined as a condition in which a person cannot eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the field of hunger relief, the term hunger is used in a sense that goes beyond the common desire for food that all humans experience. The most extreme form of hunger, when malnutrition is widespread, and when people have started dying of starvation through lack of access to sufficient, nutritious food, leads to a declaration of famine.
SUBJECT Variables
POVERTY
In October 2015, the World Bank updated the International Poverty Line (IPL), a global absolute minimum, to $1.90 per day. A slightly higher threshold of $3.1 per day is also used in benchmarking exercises to assess the different levels of poverty.
- In 2015-16, 369.5 million people in India were classified as poor (i.e living on less than USD 1.9 per day). This equates to 28% of India's total population.
- India lifted 145 million people out of poverty between 2011 to 2015 as per UNDP's Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2019
- Of the 369.5 million people classified as "poor" in 2015, 21.2% of the people were living below an income level of USD 1.9/day (classified as "extremely poor") while 60.4% were living below an income level of USD 3.1/day.
- As of 2015, 255 million people (19.27%) were "multidimensionally poor" which means poor not just by income, but 10 other indicators, such as poor healthcare, access to electricity, quality of work and threat of violence.
- The ratio of people classified as poor due to access to healthcare fell from 44.4% in 2011 to 31.8% in 2015.
- The ratio of people classified as poor due to access to education increased from 13.2% in 2011 to 23.4% in 2015.
- The ratio of people classified as poor due to standard of living increased from 42.4% in 2011 to 44.7% in 2015.
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