Number of Poor People Underestimated by 350 Million Due to Miscalculations

© AFP 2023 / JEWEL SAMADA homeless man begs for donations outside a subway station in New York on February 4, 2015
A homeless man begs for donations outside a subway station in New York on February 4, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The real number of poor people may be underestimated by a quarter, with 350 million missing from the statistics, according to a report published by Overseas Development Institute.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The number of people living below the poverty line may be underestimated by a quarter, with 350 million missing from the statistics, a report published by UK-based think tank Overseas Development Institute suggested.

"To put it starkly, it is highly problematic that we set global targets to reduce poverty in all its forms without the ability to know whether or not those targets have been met," the report reads. The case applies both to global and national levels.

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About 1.2 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day, a number that is currently internationally recognized as the extreme poverty line, the study titled "The data revolution" said.

According to the report, 21 sub-Sahara countries did not carry out household surveys between 2006 and 2013 and this has led to major inaccuracies, including the number of women who die during childbirth. There is estimated to be between 133,000 and 256,000 such unreported cases.

To fill in statistic gaps, governments need to increase investment in national statistical offices and use alternative sources of information, the research stressed.

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