UN says 165 million people fell into poverty in past 3 years of crisis

Shacks in the informal settlement of Mathare in Nairobi , Kenya, on 26 April 2023. Poverty and unemployment run deep in some parts of the world, with the UNDP asking for debt relief. © Amaury Falt-Brown / AFP

The Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine have pushed 165 million people into poverty since 2020, the United Nations said on Thursday. The UN is calling for the world's wealthiest economies to pause debt repayments by developing countries to ease the burden.

Because of the shocks of the past three years, 75 million people will have fallen into extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $2.15 a day, between 2020 and the end of 2023 – and 90 million more will fall below the poverty line of $3.65 a day, according to a study published by the United Nations Development Programme.