The number of people living In extreme poverty will fall from 902 millions in 2012 to 702 million this year, which is 9.6% of the global population, emphasises the World Bank in a report published on 4 October. It is the first time that the extreme poverty rate will fall below the level of 10%, and this in spite of the recent increase of the line of poverty, from 1.25 to 1.90 dollars per day.

In 2012, date of the most recent available data, the planet's most disadvantaged numbered 902 million, almost 13% of global population. This proportion reached 29% in 1999. "These projections show us that we could be the first generation in history that can end extreme poverty", declared Jim Yong Kin, President of the World Bank.

According to him, this decline is the result of dynamic economic growth, investment in health, in education and in social safety nets which help millions of people from "falling back into poverty".

The World Bank, which has a stated objective to end extreme poverty by 2030, however recognises that the figures hide strong regional disparities. Extreme poverty is in effect declining in East Asia and South America. However it hits 35.2% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.

"The growing concentration of global poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely worrying (...). The region as a whole lags behind the rest of the world in the pace of reducing poverty", highlights the World Bank, also warning against the slowing of growth in emerging countries.