世界银行-根据国际贫困线的全球儿童货币贫困趋势（英）-2023-37页_1mb

Summary of "Global Trends in Child Monetary Poverty According to International Poverty Lines"

Overview

This World Bank and UNICEF working paper (Policy Research Working Paper 10525, July 2023) analyzes trends and disparities in child poverty using three international poverty lines ($2.15, $3.65, and $6.85 PPP), with a focus on extreme poverty ($2.15). It examines data from 2013 to 2022, including nowcasted estimates for 2020-2022, to track progress toward SDG 1.1.1 and understand child vulnerability.

Key Findings

• Extremely Child Poverty Reduction: The proportion of children living in extreme poverty decreased from 20.7% in 2013 to 15.9% in 2022 (319 million to 333 million). This improvement was attributed to pre-pandemic progress, but pandemic disruptions (especially in 2020) hindered gains; without COVID-19, an additional 79.7 million children would have been lifted out of extreme poverty.

• Disparities and Vulnerabilities:

  • Children under 5 years old have the highest extreme poverty rates (e.g., 18.3% in 2022), and they constitute a significant share of the poor in terms of population but higher poverty gap ratios.
  • Children are disproportionately affected, comprising over 50% of the extreme poor (up to 52.5% in 2022), despite being 31% of the total population. This includes higher concentrations in fragile and conflict-affected countries, large or rural households, and children in lower-middle-income regions.

• Pandemic Impact: COVID-19 reversed some gains; years of lost progress equate to approximately three years of pre-pandemic reduction. Growth assumptions in nowcasts show a slow recovery in 2021 and 2022 but minimal improvement.

• Regional Analysis: Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest poverty rate (40.2% in 2022), accounting for 71.1% of global extreme poor children. Latin America and high-income countries show improved rates, while the Middle East and North Africa experienced increases. Around 75% of extremely poor children live in the world's two poorest regions.

• Higher Poverty Lines: Using $3.65 and $6.85 lines, child poverty is widespread at similar rates. For instance, 41.2% of children lived below $3.65 in 2022, and over half were affected by the $6.85 line.

Conclusion

Despite overall progress, extreme child poverty remains high, with stalling pre-pandemic gains and setbacks from COVID-19. Targeted policies are needed to address vulnerabilities in specific groups (e.g., young children, those in fragile states) holistically and contextually to achieve SDG targets. Further research is recommended to understand policy impacts and scale up effective interventions.