Global Relative Poverty

April 1, 2009

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

The paper provides estimates of global relative poverty trends from 1970 onwards. Relative poverty is shown to have decreased significantly, but at the same time there has been a worsening poverty outcome among up to one billion of the world's poorest citizens. The paper also proposes a straightforward method for dividing an income distribution into classes of poor, rich, and middle-class.

Subject: Income distribution, Income inequality, National accounts, Personal income, Population and demographics, Poverty

Keywords: day poverty line, Global, global income inequality, income, income dispersion, Income distribution, Income inequality, income span, mean income, per capita income, Personal income, poverty analysis, poverty gap, poverty line, Relative poverty, transfer principle, WP

Pages:
16
Volume:
2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451872408.001
Issue:
093
Series:
Working Paper No. 2009/093
Stock No:
WPIEA2009093
ISBN:
9781451872408
ISSN:
1018-5941

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