What is SDG 1?

The 2030 Agenda places a massive emphasis on treating poverty eradication as the fundamental prerequisite for global progress: “The first Sustainable Development Goal aims to End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Its seven associated targets aim, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty, and implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable”. (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.-b, “Overview” Section)

Over the last decade, global poverty reduction has slowed substantially compared to the sharp decline in 1990-2015. This slowdown is due to a combination of interconnected crises, including sluggish economic growth, high levels of debt, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and fragility and severe weather-related shocks. By 2026, one in ten people worldwide is still living in extreme poverty, showing limited improvement. Growth and population forecasts, even before the recent conflicts in the Middle East, suggest that about 9% of the world’s population is likely to be living in extreme poverty by 2030. However, countries have steadily made progress in halving national poverty rates over the SDG period. For instance, East and South-East Asia, despite starting with the lowest poverty levels, are projected to have the highest share of countries achieving halving national poverty rates by 2030. (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.-b, “Progress and Info” Section) 

List of References

Hasell, J., Rohenkohl, B., & Arriagada, P. (2025). $3 a day: A new poverty line has shifted the World Bank's data on extreme poverty. What changed, and why? Our World in Data. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260518-093348/new-international-poverty-line-3-dollars-per-day.html

Lønborg, J. H., Viveros, M., Castañeda Aguilar, R. A., Lakner, C., Lara Ibarra, G., & Nguyen, M. C. (2026, March 26). March 2026 global poverty update from the World Bank: New data and updated poverty numbers. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/march-2026-global-poverty-update-from-the-world-bank--new-data-a

Participate, Inc. (2019, August 22). Understand Goal 1: No poverty (Secondary) [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 25, 2026, from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2O1HU6FMfk

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2025). A world of debt 2025: It is time for reform. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://unctad.org/publication/world-of-debt

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2025). The Sustainable Development Goals report 2025. United Nations. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2025.pdf 

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere. United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal1#overview

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Poverty eradication. United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://sdgs.un.org/topics/poverty-eradication

United Nations Development Programme, & Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. (2025). Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2025: Overlapping hardships: Poverty and climate hazards. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://hdr.undp.org/content/2025-global-multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi

World Bank. (2026, March). March 2026 global poverty update from the World Bank: New data and updated poverty numbers. World Bank Blogs. Retrieved May 3, 2026, from https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/march-2026-global-poverty-update-from-the-world-bank--new-data-a 

Countries