It’s not too hard to fathom that when asked a question about the state of global poverty, that a majority of people would not be certain about the facts. It is kind of a random question. A survey from the web project Gapminder asked 12,000 people in 14 countries if, over the last two decades, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has A) almost doubled, B) stayed the same, or C) almost halved.
So, what is the correct answer?
It’s actually C—extreme poverty around the world has almost halved.
When asked, 95% of Americans got the answer incorrect. In fact, most of the people in other countries got it wrong, too. Why is this a seemingly hidden fact? Why are we not celebrating and hearing about this all over the news?
I’m sure you know why. Good news doesn’t sell as well nor does it interest a majority of people. But it is true. Global poverty rates have declined rapidly in the past two decades. There are many nonprofits that continue to work hard to provide solutions, and there is progress being made. It truly is worth celebrating!