Key Points

• UN reports 808 million people lived in extreme poverty in 2025.

• The agency warns 8.9% of the world may remain poor by 2030.

• Nearly 3.8 billion people lack social protection coverage globally.

The United Nations has raised fresh concerns over rising global poverty and hunger, warning that the world is not on course to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030—a key target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a statement posted on its social media platforms on Monday, the UN disclosed that about 808 million people, representing one in every 10 people globally, were living in extreme poverty in 2025.

The figure reflects an upward revision following an update to the international poverty line, now set at less than $3.00 per person per day in 2021 purchasing power parity.

“Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal aim of the Sustainable Development Goals,” the organisation stated.

While acknowledging that extreme poverty declined significantly in previous decades, the UN noted that progress has slowed in recent years. If current trends persist, it warned, 8.9 percent of the world’s population could still be trapped in extreme poverty by the end of the decade.

Hunger resurges as food prices rise

Beyond poverty, the UN described the resurgence of global hunger as “shocking,” noting that levels have returned to figures last recorded in 2005.

It also pointed to sustained increases in food prices across more countries compared to the 2015–2019 period, describing the combined crisis of poverty and food insecurity as a major global challenge.

According to the UN, poverty is multidimensional and driven by factors such as unemployment, social exclusion and the heightened vulnerability of certain groups to disasters, diseases and other shocks that limit their productivity.

The organisation stressed that poverty and inequality extend beyond those directly affected. Growing inequality, it warned, hampers economic growth, weakens social cohesion, fuels political and social tensions, and in some cases contributes to instability and conflict.

“As human beings, our well-being is linked to each other,” the statement noted.

Call for stronger social protection systems

The UN emphasised the need for robust and sustainable social protection systems to cushion the impact of economic shocks and prevent more people from slipping into poverty.

Despite expansions during the COVID-19 pandemic, it revealed that 47.6 per cent of the global population — about 3.8 billion people — remained completely unprotected as of 2023. This includes an estimated 1.4 billion children.

In response to the global cost-of-living crisis, 105 countries and territories introduced nearly 350 social protection measures between February 2022 and February 2023. However, the UN observed that 80 per cent of these interventions were short-term.

“To achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement nationally appropriate universal and sustainable social protection systems for all,” the agency said.

The UN also called for stronger collaboration among governments, the private sector and citizens. It urged individuals to engage in policymaking processes to safeguard their rights, while encouraging governments to create enabling environments that generate productive jobs for the poor and marginalised.

The private sector, it added, has a crucial role in ensuring that economic growth is inclusive and supports poverty reduction.

The global body maintained that coordinated and sustained efforts across sectors are essential to lift millions out of poverty and ensure that no one is left behind by 2030