Answers, What Is Your Poverty IQ?

Question 1: How many countries does the World Bank consider “low income,” ie, countries with gross national incomes per capita of less than $1,025 per year?

Answer: d. 31

The World Bank has grouped 218 countries into 4 categories, determined by annual gross national income (GNI)* per capita, as follows:

High Income, $12,476 plus: 79 countries

Upper Middle Income, $4,036 – $12,475: 56 countries

Lower Middle Income, $1,026 – $4,035: 52 countries

Low Income, $1,205 or less: 31

The chart below shows the number of countries in each of the four income groupings by region.  Note that much poverty is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa; 27 of the 31 low income countries are located there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Gross National Income equals Gross Domestic Product Plus Net Income From Overseas

Learn more: https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups

 
Question 2: What is the worldwide annual gross national income per capita, across all developed and developing countries?

Answer: c. $10,551

According to the World Bank, the 2015 annual GNI per capita across all countries of the world was $10,551. Burundi was lowest at $260 and Norway was highest with $93,530 annual GNI per capita.  The chart below shows the five countries with the highest annual GNI per capita and the five countries with the lowest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD?year_high_desc=false

 

Question 3: What is the global poverty line?

Answer: b. $1.90 per day

The global poverty line is set by the World Bank, and represents the value of the minimally necessary goods and services needed to sustain one adult. In October 2015, the global poverty line was adjusted to $1.90 per day. Those living on less than $1.90 per day are recognized as living in extreme poverty.

Learn more: http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview

 

Question 4: How many people worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2015, and what is the corresponding rate of poverty?

Answer: c. 702 million, 9.6% of world population

The World Bank estimates that in 2015, 702 million people were living in extreme poverty, on less than $1.90 per day. That was about 9.6% of the world’s population.

 

Question 5: Has worldwide poverty trended up, down, or remained stable in the last two decades?

Answer: Poverty is trending downward

Since 2000, the overall poverty rate has dropped from 37% (of the world’s population) to an estimated 9.6% in 2015. In the same time period, the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen by more than half, from 1.96 billion in 2000 to 702 million in 2015. The trend was driven by a dramatic reduction in poverty in East Asia and the Pacific but dampened by an increase in the number of people living in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Read more: http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/109701443800596288/PRN03Oct2015TwinGoals.pdf

http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/publication/poverty-rising-africa-poverty-report

 

Question 6: What are some in-common characteristics of countries with high concentrations of extreme poverty?

Answers: a. under developed human capital, d. high rates of population growth, e. an agriculture-dominated economy, with little industrialization, f. informal economic systems, with few or no structured institutions

Multiple sources point to several characteristics that impact many or all countries plagued by high levels of poverty. Poor health, under-nutrition, lack of education, high infant and toddler mortality rates and low life expectancies all contribute to insufficiencies of human capital in poorer countries. Most experience high rates of population growth in spite of high infant and toddler mortality rates.   Economies generally depend largely on agriculture, with little industrialization present. Economic activities are relatively informal, without the institutions that provide the structure and protection needed for efficient labor, financial, and other markets.

 

Question 7: What objectives for foreign aid has the United Nations set for developed countries?

Answer: .7% of gross domestic product

In 1970, the United Nations passed a resolution asking that all developed nations make best efforts to channel the equivalent of .7 percent of gross national product into aid to developing countries to promote economic development and welfare. This Official Development Assistance (ODA) must be “concessional” and convey a grant element of at least 25%.

The .7 percent objective has been reaffirmed a number of times over the years, and stands today.  The charts below show the five countries with the highest level of ODA expenditures, first as a percentage of Gross National Income, and second in dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learn more: http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/press/07.htm

https://data.oecd.org/oda/net-oda.htm#indicator-chart

 

Question 8: What is the Organization for Economic Development and Co-Operation (OEDC)?

Answer: b. the successor to the organization established to run the Marshall Plan post-World War II, that now works to improve social and economic well-being worldwide

The OECD provides data on a number of indicators relevant to the fight against poverty, including data on expenditures of Official Development Assistance by developed countries.

Learn more: https://data.oecd.org/

 

Question 9: What does the World Bank cite as the primary ingredients necessary for the eradication of poverty?

Answers: a. sustained, broad-based economic growth, c. investment in human capital, e. insurance for the poor against evolving risks

World Bank policy papers point to sustaining broad-based growth, investing in human development, and insuring the poor against evolving risks as the three key prerequisites to reducing poverty.

Learn more: http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/109701443800596288/PRN03Oct2015TwinGoals.pdf

 

Question 10: What is the United Nations overarching poverty goal for 2030?

Answer: d. eradicate extreme poverty

 

Question 11: What is the current United Nations umbrella initiative that includes goals for reducing poverty?

Answer: c. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

In 2015, the United Nations replaced the Millenial Development Goals with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 top level goals that focus on poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, and other aspects of peace and prosperity.

Learn more: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

 

Question 12: According to the United Nations, what factor most impeded progress in many countries that were unable to meet objectives for reducing hunger?

Answer: c. natural and human induced disasters and political instability

The United Nations reports that prevalence of hunger has been reduced from about 15% early in this millennium to 11% in 2016, short of the goal to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Among the countries that fell short, efforts were deterred by natural and human induced disasters and political instability.

Learn more: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2

 

Question 13: In spite of steep declines this millennium in under-five mortality rates, many young children continue to lose their lives to poverty. In 2015, how many children under the age of five perished?

Answer: b. 5.9 million

The United Nations reports that under-five mortality rates across the world dropped 44% from 2000 to 2015. However, 5.9 million children under the age of 5 died in 2015, a rate of 43 per 1,000 live births.

Learn more: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg3

 

Question 14: To meet the United Nations’ goal of universal primary and secondary education, how many new teachers will be needed by 2030?

Answer: c. 26 million

The United Nations estimates that in 2013, 59 million primary school aged children were out of school, and that 40% of those will never attend school. To meet the objective of universal primary and secondary education, an estimated 26 million new teachers will be required by 2030.

Learn more: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg4

 

Question 15: According to United Nations estimates, how many people worldwide are impacted by water stress?

Answer: a. more than 2 billion

Water stress occurs when demand for water is greater than the amount available or when water is of such poor quality that its use is restricted. The United Nations estimates that more than 2 billion people worldwide experience water stress, and that number is expected to rise.

Learn more: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6

 

How did you do?  If you answered 12 or more questions correctly, you are well informed!