Over 330 million children worldwide living in extreme poverty: UNICEF

KABUL (Pajhwok): More than 333 million children worldwide lives in extreme poverty while millions more should have been lifted out of extreme poverty which could not happened due to Covid-19 related disruptions, according to a statement on Sunday.

“The findings show that 333 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty – a decrease of almost 50 million over the course of the past decade, However, the report’s authors say that millions more should have been lifted out of extreme poverty had it not been for three years of Covid-19 related disruptions,” the UN Children Fund (UNICEF) said in its fresh report.

The report showed that globally, children comprise more than 50 per cent of the extreme poor, despite making up only a third of the world’s population.

Nearly 90 per cent of children caught in extreme poverty reside in either sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa has both the highest rate, at 40 per cent in 2022, and the largest share of the world’s extreme poor children, over 71 per cent – a significant jump from just under 55 per cent 10 years ago.

Authors say that rapid population growth and “limited” social protection measures have contributed to this steep increase. Meanwhile, all other regions in the world except the Middle East and North Africa have seen a “steady decline” in extreme poverty rates.

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