Global Scans · Poverty · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Due to a deteriorating global economic outlook, more than 130 out of 189 countries will experience reduced income growth, with the average global GDP growth rate falling from 4.1 percent to 3.1 percent between 2011 and 2030. Almost all of the countries with large numbers remaining in extreme poverty in 2030 will be in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

• [New] Even though time had passed, the dangers of intense radiation, mass displacement, poverty and lack of medical treatment continued to create intolerable conditions for the people of Belarus, Western Russia and the Ukraine. Electricity Info
• [New] The U.N. warns over half of Lebanon's 5.8 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, after Israeli strikes since March killed at least 2,700 people and displaced over a million from their homes. Democracy Now!
• [New] The Mexican government has pledged free, universal healthcare for all from 2027 as part of an ambitious plan to tackle inequality in the country of 120 million. Positive News
• [New] In 2021, the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan announced an EU headline target on poverty reduction: reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030. Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
• [New] The EU anti-poverty strategy sets a clear path towards reaching the EU targets of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, as well as helping end poverty by 2050. Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
• [New] Cutting off Cuba's fuel supply entirely could trigger a humanitarian crisis of broad reach on the island, which is already experiencing electricity outages of up to 18 hours daily and acute fuel shortages affecting public transport and emergency services. Mexico Business
• [New] UNHCR's 2026 Regional Response Plan describes a humanitarian operation of enormous scale, under enormous strain, attempting something genuinely difficult: keeping millions of people alive while simultaneously trying to build the conditions in which they might one day need less help. The Borgen Project
• [New] The global exposure estimate from the IMF puts nearly 40% of global employment in AI-exposed categories, emphasizing that complementarity and inequality risks travel together. CEOWORLD Magazine
• [New] UN Women notes estimates that closing the gender digital divide would improve the lives of 343.5 million women and girls, generate approximately US $ 1.5 trillion dollars by 2030, and lift 30 million out of poverty by 2050. Women's World Banking
• [New] In India and across the Global South, where climate risk intersects with poverty, infrastructure deficits, and social inequality, the case for ESG remains strong. evACAD
• [New] The events around Iran have had a negative impact on almost all areas around the world, and millions of people will be affected by poverty and hunger.
• [New] Starting in 2026, any enrollee with an income above 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL), roughly half of the 25 million current marketplace enrollees, will receive an automatic hardship exemption and may purchase catastrophic plans. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The expansion of China's zero-tariff regime could increase African agricultural exports, which will help to elevate rural incomes, improve rural productivity, and ultimately to reduce hunger and poverty. BBC News
• [New] Continued fighting in the Middle East could cause global economic growth to slow, inflation to rise, and tens of millions of people to fall into poverty. Everything Briefing
• [New] Poverty is expected to decline by approximately 1.5 percentage points per year, which could lift close to one million Burkinabe out of extreme poverty by 2028. Discovery Alert
• [New] Actions against Venezuela, Cuba and Iran have increased global political and economic instability, humanitarian emergencies, and threats to the lives and livelihoods of workers and communities. Unifor
• Enhancing measures to limit the increase in global temperatures could significantly progress toward many other SDGs, such as reducing poverty and hunger, increasing water availability, and protecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Scientific Research Publishing
• 239 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance but only 135 million are being targeted for assistance (keeping in view funding and other constraints) for which 33 billion dollars will be needed. Countercurrents
• AI could cause considerable inequality. Business Insider
• In South Korea's booming chip sector, bonuses that bullish forecasts suggest could soon approach US$900,000 (S$ 1.15 million) are deepening concerns over widening inequality. ST
• The humanitarian toll is equally devastating; the Norwegian Refugee Council, led by Jan Egeland, warned that higher fuel costs mean fewer people globally will receive aid, as the cost of filling aid lorries and buying food for displaced persons has become prohibitive. TimeTrex
• Latin America is the world's most unequal region - and yet the fiscal reforms that could begin to address that inequality remain stubbornly out of reach. LATIN AMERICA ¡SIN FILTRO!

Last updated: 15 May 2026