Thursday, 11 March 2010 15:23 | and posted in Features
1. 1.4 billion people live on less than 83p a day ($1.25). This means 20% of the global population live in "extreme poverty".
2. 3.14 billion people live on less than £1.67 a day ($2.50). This is equal to 50% of the global population.
3. 5.15 billion people, 80% of the global population, live on less than £6.67 ($10) a day. This means if you your annual income is more than £2,435.44 you are in the world's richest 20%.*
4. 95% of the population in developing countries live on less than £6.67 ($10) a day.
5. 8.3 million people, 0.13% of the global population, control 25% of global finance.
6. There are 2.2 billion children in the world. 1 billion of them (1 in 2) live in poverty.
7. In 2008, total military spending worldwide amounted to $1.473 billion. If less than 5% of this had been redirected to easing poverty we could have paid for basic education for all, clean water and sanitation for all, provided reproductive health for all women as well as basic health and nutrition for all, and probably more.
FOOTNOTE:
* At 16 or 17 years of age, working 14 hours a week in the UK at the minimum wage of £3.57 would put you in the richest 20% of the global population. Between 18 and 21 years of age, you'd only have to work 10 hours a week at the minimum wage of £4.83.
