Inequality, Poverty, and Antipoverty Transfers

This report reviews the main trends in global poverty, assesses projections on poverty trends for the medium term, and considers the implications for antipoverty policy. Three main points emerge from the discussion in this section. First, there is broad agreement that the incidence of global poverty has declined by one half over the last two decades, although the decline in poverty incidence has been weaker outside China and disappointing for sub-Saharan Africa. Second, sustaining this positive poverty reduction trend into the medium term will require maintaining high rates of economic growth and an improved distribution of the benefits from growth to disadvantaged groups. Third, a policy focus on enhancing the social and economic inclusion of disadvantaged groups will be essential to achieve this objective.