Globally, the extreme poor are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Table 1 shows the number and proportion of the extreme poor in 2013 by global region. On average, 12.6% of the world's population, or about one in eight people, lives in extreme poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest and second-highest number and proportion of the world's extreme poor, respectively, with 50.7% and 33.4% of the world's extreme poor living in these two regions.
International Poverty Rate at $1.9 per Day and Number of Extreme Poor by Region, 2013
| Region . | International Poverty Rate (%) . | Number of Extreme Poor (million) . |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia and Pacific | 3.54 | 71.02 |
| Europe and Central Asia | 2.15 | 10.30 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 5.40 | 33.59 |
| Middle East and North Africa | na | na |
| South Asia | 15.09 | 256.24 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 40.99 | 388.72 |
| World average | 12.55 | 766.01 |
| Region . | International Poverty Rate (%) . | Number of Extreme Poor (million) . |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia and Pacific | 3.54 | 71.02 |
| Europe and Central Asia | 2.15 | 10.30 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 5.40 | 33.59 |
| Middle East and North Africa | na | na |
| South Asia | 15.09 | 256.24 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 40.99 | 388.72 |
| World average | 12.55 | 766.01 |
na = not available.
Note: All amounts are based on 2011 purchasing power parity.
Source: Authors’ estimates based on World Bank. PovcalNet. http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/povOnDemand.aspx (accessed September 15, 2017).