17 October marks the International Day dedicated to the eradication of poverty. This year, the UN is focusing on ending “social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families”.
By Kielce Gussie
As of June 2025, the World Bank raised its extreme poverty estimates by 125 million people. What this means is not greater poverty globally, but the existence of a new, higher International Poverty Line at $3 a day, rather than $2.15.
And on October 17, the plight of the 838 million men, women, and children living below the poverty line is brought to the forefront on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Higher poverty line ≠ richer
Inflation and the national definitions of poverty in low-income countries have led to the rise of the international poverty line. As these countries increase their poverty lines, the international one must also rise.
Some 838 million people live in poverty around the world. (AFP or licensors)
As a result, the World Bank’s estimates of extreme poverty have changed. The number of those living in poverty jumped from 713 to 838 million in 2022. If the trends continue, 8.9% of the world’s population could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030.
More than one factor
Poverty is not based on one factor or another. As UN Secretary António Guterres stressed, “Poverty is not a personal failure; it is a systemic failure – a denial of dignity and human rights.”
The World Bank also highlighted how climate change poses a big risk to the reduction of poverty and inequality. One in five people today are at-risk of an extreme weather event in their life, which means they are likely to encounter major setbacks in their livelihoods, significantly hurting poverty reduction efforts.
Protecting people from these drastic weather events means lowering vulnerability by improving risk management and preventing the escalation of future climate risks.
Moving towards an end to poverty
Marking the day, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) renews its dedication to eliminating poverty and pushing for communal prosperity. The 2025 theme, “Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families”, stressing the need to protect the dignity of every family.
A displaced Yemeni girl stands outside her shelter in a displaced persons camp in Marib, Yemen, 2024
Families living in poverty often face a stigma in places meant to help families in this situation: welfare offices, child protection systems, and clinics. To fight against judgment and control that degrade people, the theme of the Day calls for three changes:
1. From control to care: Create services that begin with trust and limit harsh requirements, simplify paperwork, and focus on respectful, person-centered engagement.
2. From oversight to empowerment: Shift funding priorities away from surveillance and separation, and toward services that strengthen families—such as income assistance, quality childcare, safe housing, mental health support, parenting resources, and legal aid.
3. From imposed to inclusive solutions: Engage families experiencing poverty in every phase—assessment, planning, budgeting, implementation, and review—ensuring that policies are grounded in lived experience and address actual needs.
