Global Scans · Poverty · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Due to a deteriorating global economic outlook, more than 130 out of 189 countries will experience reduced income growth, with the average global GDP growth rate falling from 4.1 percent to 3.1 percent between 2011 and 2030. Almost all of the countries with large numbers remaining in extreme poverty in 2030 will be in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

• [New] World hunger and food insecurity are inextricably linked between social inequality and access to healthy food options; therefore, the key to replacing ASFs within the food system will be the availability and affordability of any alternative protein source. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Insurgency-related conflicts often start without warning and can last over a decade, making the pre-crisis and early crisis phases crucial for U.S. policymakers seeking to prevent national security threats and humanitarian disasters from emerging. Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] The Somali population already experiencing humanitarian crises globally will face additional displacement as conflict intensifies. HORN REVIEW
• [New] NGO Doctors Without Borders warns of growing humanitarian needs as tens of thousands of African migrants displaced. Al Jazeera
• [New] Longer droughts, rising populations and a siphoning off of resources via a large dam in Ethiopia may soon contribute to conflicts over water and its natural resources downstream in Egypt, potentially putting millions of people at risk of poverty and starvation. News Decoder
• [New] Conflict in the Middle East, along with weather extremes and reductions in both official development assistance and humanitarian funding threaten to undermine recent progress towards ending global hunger. UN News
• [New] The 2026 Middle East conflict, along with weather extremes and the reductions in official development assistance and humanitarian funding, are threatening to undermine the progress made to end global hunger. World Health Organization: WHO
• [New] Moving the current average global efficiency rate of coal-fired power plants from 37.5% to 47.5% by deploying more advanced technology could cut 2 gigatons of CO2 emissions while allowing affordable energy for economic development and poverty reduction. Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
• [New] If the current trend continues, the poverty rate will increase from 41% in 2026 to 45.5% in 2028. / Iran NCRI
• [New] According to the report, cited by state-run media, Iran's poverty rate is projected to rise from 41% in 2026 to 45.5% by 2028. NCRI
• [New] Over 2.5 billion people are projected to be added to urban populations by 2050, primarily in Asia and Africa, where infrastructure and long commutes amplify time poverty. Market Data Forecast
• [New] More than eleven million children are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026. CNN
• In the U.S. alone, a modest wealth tax on multimillionaires and billionaires - at a rate of 1% for fortunes $10 million, 3% for fortunes $100 million, and 5% for fortunes $100 billion - could raise an estimated $414 billion to invest in social programs and fighting poverty. Digital Rhetoric Collaborative
• Innovation will persist because of California's talent base and that modest wealth taxation can help address inequality and fund healthcare. Family Enterprise USA
• China will provide Ukraine with an additional humanitarian energy assistance package. U.S.-CHINA ECONOMIC and SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION

Last updated: 28 August 2026