Beyond survival: Tackling poverty’s true challenge

Some countries have done it. They have ticked the box. Extreme poverty? Handled, done, and dusted. Or at least, that’s what the stats say. And yes, that is a massive achievement.
When people finally have clean water, electricity that works, schools that function, hospitals that treat you without asking for your life savings, and jobs that pay more than a bus fare; that is real progress. But getting out of extreme poverty does not mean you are done. It just means you are not drowning anymore. You are on dry land. That’s great, but the real journey starts after poverty ends. Because 'not poor' is not the same as 'doing well.' It is just step one.
Poverty comes in many forms. Absolute (or extreme) poverty is the most visible, lacking access to basic needs like food, water, shelter, and medical care.
Relative poverty, on the other hand, refers to those who may not be starving but are excluded from a decent standard of living compared to others in their society. Then there is multidimensional poverty, which goes even further, looking at things like years of schooling, sanitation, access to clean water, and healthcare. Globally, over 1.1 billion people are poor in multiple ways, and more than half of them are children.
Poverty is most intense in areas where healthcare systems are fragile, education is poor, and basic infrastructure is weak or non-existent. In many regions, poverty goes hand in hand with prolonged conflict, political instability, or environmental degradation.
Child poverty remains exceptionally high in areas with limited access to quality schooling, food, and healthcare, and it exists across both rural and urban zones in many parts of the world.
Climate change is now one of the leading threats to poverty reduction. According to the World Bank, climate-related disasters could push between 32 and 132 million additional people into extreme poverty by 2030. People who already lack access to savings, insurance, or reliable infrastructure are the least able to recover from floods, droughts, or other environmental shocks.
The consequences of poverty reach far beyond empty wallets. It fuels child mortality, school dropouts, malnutrition, chronic illness, and long-term unemployment.
It limits social mobility, fuels inequality, and can even destabilise entire societies. Once families fall below the line, it can be incredibly hard to break the cycle. Poverty traps form when education, health, and employment opportunities are so limited that even basic progress becomes impossible without external support.
Global goals exist, but progress is too slow. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals aim to end extreme poverty by 2030, yet projections show over 600 million people may still be living in poverty by then. Between 2024 and 2030, only 69 million people are expected to move above the extreme poverty threshold, less than half the number who did in the six years before the pandemic.
One of the most effective solutions is simple: direct, unconditional cash transfers. Giving families regular financial support (without hoops to jump through) has been shown to improve school attendance, boost health, and reduce hunger.
Social protection programmes that focus on children have also shown long-term impact, helping reduce intergenerational poverty and supporting development in critical early years. When debt relief is offered to low-income governments, they can redirect those funds toward building schools, hospitals, and sustainable infrastructure.
In 2024, a global anti-poverty alliance was launched by over 80 countries, aiming to lift 500 million people out of poverty through food programmes, maternal care, agricultural support, and education. But at the same time, some high-income governments have started cutting foreign aid, despite decades of evidence showing that well-managed aid works.
The bottom line is that poverty is not a technical problem; it’s a moral and political one. We know what causes it, we know how to reduce it, and we know which programmes make a real difference. What’s missing is the urgency to act. Because in the end, poverty is not just about what people lack; it’s about what society has chosen not to provide.

The author is an academic and researcher