Fact Sheet

In 2005, an estimated 1.4 billion people were living in extreme poverty (on less than 1 US dollar per day). (MDG Report, United Nations, 2010)

More than 30 per cent of children in developing countries – about 600 million – live on less than US $1 a day. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)

Every 3.6 seconds one person dies of starvation. Usually it is a child under the age of 5. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)

More than 1 billion children are severely deprived of at least one of the essential goods and services they require to survive, grow and develop. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)

Poverty contributes to malnutrition, which in turn is a contributing factor in over half of the under-five deaths in developing countries. Some 300 million children go to bed hungry every day. Of these only eight per cent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. More than 90 per cent are suffering long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)

Some 13 per cent of children ages 7 to 18 years in developing countries have never attended school. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)

In all developing regions, children in rural areas and children from poor households are more likely to be underweight due to lack of nutrition. (Progress for Children, UNICEF, 2010)

884 million people lack access to improved drinking water sources, and 84 per cent of them live in rural areas. (Progress for Children, UNICEF, 2010)