The Challenge of Global Poverty

This textbook examines the causes, characteristics and distribution of extreme poverty in the world today, and the international responses to address the problem of poverty.


The causes of poverty are complex; the result of a combination of environmental, social, economic and political factors operating at all levels of society that create a cycle of poverty that is almost impossible to escape.


Tackling extreme poverty was the first Millennium Development Goal set by the United Nations in 2000, and the target of reducing it by half was met 5 years ahead of the 2015 deadline. Yet, at least 700 million people continue to suffer from extreme poverty, and billions more survive just above the ‘poverty line’. 


Despite the apparent success of international action in poverty reduction, the figures are skewed by China’s economic miracle, and India’s less acclaimed, but equally impressive, transformation. In Africa, as well as some parts of Asia, progress in reducing extreme poverty has been much slower. Case studies of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Afghanistan illustrate the factors operating over time that have set the ‘poverty trap’ for millions of their citizens, the progress made with poverty reduction, and the challenges that still have to be overcome.


With the deadline date for the MDGs now passed, the international community, including the UN and the World Bank, has set an even more ambitious set of goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, including a new target of ending extreme poverty everywhere by 2030. The challenge of ‘ending poverty in our generation’ will be much harder to achieve than that of MDG1.


This textbook will support A Level & IB Geography teachers and students. In addition, it will be of relevance to many others with an interest in the challenge of global poverty.


Images, video links, multiple-choice review questions and quick questions are provided to create a more interactive and educational experience for the reader.