SDG 1: No Poverty
SDG 1: No Poverty. Eradicating Poverty in All Its Forms
The United Nations approved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 as part of a comprehensive framework to create a more equitable and sustainable world by 2030 (UN SDGs 2015). No Poverty (SDG 1) is the cornerstone goal among the seventeen, aiming to end poverty in all of its manifestations worldwide (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2022). In order to understand why eradicating poverty is essential for global development, this chapter explores the importance, goals, difficulties, and tactics associated with SDG 1 (Klimczuk et al. 2024).
The multidimensional character of poverty – which goes beyond financial hardship to include lack of access to essential services like healthcare, education, and sanitation – is the focus of SDG 1 basic.
About 712 million people were living in extreme poverty as of 2023, which is defined as making less than $1.25 per day. This is a 23 million rise from 2019. The COVID-19 epidemic is mostly to blame for this increase, as it has severely hampered worldwide attempts to reduce poverty. In addition to income, poverty often includes social exclusion, the denial of fundamental rights, and limited access to basic services like healthcare and education (WHO 2019).
Historical Context of Poverty
Throughout human history, poverty has been a chronic problem that affects millions of people globally. Over time, the definition of poverty has changed from being purely economic to now including social and environmental factors. A deeper comprehension of poverty’s effects on human well-being and sustainable development is reflected in The UN’s commitment to end it (UN 2024).
Historically, a variety of social and economic strategies have influenced efforts to reduce poverty. In the post-Many nations saw fast economic growth in the years following World War II, which contributed to a decline in poverty. But even with these developments, poverty is still a major problem, especially in developing nations (UN 2015).
The Reasons for Significance of SDG 1
It is hard to overestimate the importance of SDG 1, “No Poverty”, since poverty is a complex problem that impacts economic stability, social cohesiveness, human rights, and general well-being (World Bank, 2020). It is thought that by focusing on these elements, the world can get closer to achieving the other SDG goals of guaranteeing that everyone lives in peace, equality, and prosperity and ending poverty in all of its manifestations.
- Economic Impact of Poverty: Poverty is a significant barrier to economic growth and stability. By restricting consumer spending and investment in human capital, it erodes social cohesiveness and seriously impedes economic growth. The elimination of poverty depends on inclusive economic growth, which guarantees that everyone gains equally from economic expansion. However, policies that guarantee an equitable distribution of opportunities and resources must accompany economic growth in order to ensure poverty reduction (UNDP 2024).
- Social Impact of Poverty: Poverty exacerbates social inequalities and exclusion. Malnutrition, lack of educational opportunities, isolation, and prejudice are the results, which intensify crises and raise political and social tension. In addition to being unjust, the increase in poverty endangers the integrity of millions of people by demeaning human dignity and igniting social discontent. In order to advance social justice and guarantee that everyone has an equal chance to prosper, poverty must be addressed (EC 2020).
- Human Rights Perspective: From a human rights perspective, poverty is an infringement on basic rights including equality, social security, education, and a sufficient standard of living. Addressing poverty as a human rights issue is crucial, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights agreements (UN 1948). The accountability of politicians and the necessity of tackling the structural causes of poverty are highlighted by a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction, which makes sure that solutions address linked human rights violations in addition to financial poverty.
- Health and Well-being: The effects of poverty on health and wellbeing are substantial. Due to a lack of access to healthcare services and substandard living conditions, people in poverty are more prone to experience health problems. Because it guarantees access to key services like healthcare and sanitation, eradicating poverty is crucial for enhancing people’s health and well-being. In order to improve health outcomes worldwide, the World Health Organization stresses that poverty must be addressed (WHO 2025).
- Environmental Impact: Climate change and environmental degradation exacerbate poverty by increasing vulnerability to natural disasters and environmental shocks. Protecting the underprivileged and disadvantaged communities requires increasing resilience to severe shocks. This involves implementing disaster risk reduction strategies and promoting sustainable practices that mitigate the effects of climate change.
- International Cooperation and Development: Significant resource mobilization through improved development cooperation is necessary to achieve SDG 1. In order to help developing nations eradicate poverty, international cooperation is crucial. For nations pursuing this objective, the United Nations and other international institutions are essential in promoting collaboration and offering support (World Bank Group 2016).
- Policy Frameworks and Governance: Creating sound policy frameworks based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies is crucial for accelerating investment in poverty reduction. These frameworks should ensure equal rights to economic resources and access to basic services for all men and women. Effective governance and accountability are essential for implementing these policies and ensuring that they benefit the most vulnerable populations (UN SDGs 2025).
Understanding SDG 1: No Poverty
The multidimensional character of poverty—which goes beyond financial hardship to include a lack of access to essential services like healthcare, education, and sanitation—is the focus of SDG 1. Around 736 million people lived on less than $1.90 per day as of 2015, and many of them lacked basic amenities including food, clean water, and sanitary facilities. In addition to lowering severe poverty, the objective is to guarantee that everyone has an equal right to financial resources and access to essential services (FAO UN 2014).
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s foundational goal, SDG 1, “No Poverty,” aims to end poverty in all of its manifestations by 2030. It includes a number of objectives, such as the abolition of extreme poverty, the reduction of poverty in all of its forms, and the establishment of social protection systems. Examining SDG 1’s objectives, metrics, and the larger global poverty context is necessary to comprehend it (EC 2022).
By tackling the economic, social, and environmental aspects of poverty through pro-poor policies, international collaboration, and social protection systems, the SDG 1 goal can be accomplished. By concentrating on these factors, the world may make progress toward first reducing and eventually eradicating poverty in all of its manifestations, guaranteeing that everyone lives in peace and prosperity (UN 2022).
Targets of SDG 1
The United Nations made the decision to concretize SDG 1 into a number of important targets in order to ensure that it can be implemented and achieve its main goal:
1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people worldwide, which is defined as those who make less than $2.15 per day in 2017 purchasing power parity.
1.2: According to national standards, cut the percentage of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all of its manifestations by at least half. .
1.3: By 2030, ensure that the poor and vulnerable are significantly covered by nationally suitable social protection systems and initiatives. .
1.4: Ensure that all men and women have equal access to financial resources, basic services, and the ability to own and manage land and other types of property.
1.5: Build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social, and environmental shocks.
1.A: Assure a substantial mobilization of resources from many sources, including improved development cooperation, to give developing nations sufficient and reliable tools to carry out policies and programs aimed at eradicating poverty.
1.B: Establish sound policy frameworks based on gender-sensitive and pro-poor development strategies at the national, regional, and global levels.
Indicators to measure progress toward the targets of SDG 1
It is important to keep in mind that these exemplary indicators encompass a variety of characteristics of poverty in order to comprehend the significance and wide-ranging effects:
- Indicator 1.1.1: The percentage of population living below the international poverty threshold aggregated by sex, age, employment status, and geographical location (urban/rural).
- Indicator 1.2.1: The percentage of population living below the national poverty threshold.
- Indicator 1.2.2: The percentage of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions (UNICEF 2021).
- Indicator 1.3.1: The percentage of the population covered by social protection programs, broken down by sex, including children, the unemployed, the elderly, people with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, those who have suffered work-related injuries, the impoverished, and those who are vulnerable.
- Indicator 1.4.1: The percentage of population living in households with access to basic services (UN Women 2022).
- Indicator 1.4.2: The percentage of all adults who have secure tenure rights to land, by sex and tenure type, and who (a) have legally recognized documents and (b) believe their rights to land are secure.
International Cooperation and Development
Achieving SDG 1 requires significant mobilization of resources through enhanced development cooperation. International cooperation is essential for supporting developing countries in their poverty eradication efforts (Tladi 2022). The United Nations and other international organizations play a vital role in facilitating cooperation and providing technical assistance to countries working towards this goal (Our World in Data 2023).
Challenges in Achieving SDG 1
Achieving SDG 1 faces numerous challenges, from uneven progress and climate change to conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. Stronger governance, resource mobilization, and the implementation of all-encompassing poverty reduction measures are all necessary components of a multilevel strategy to address these issues. The world may get closer to ending poverty in all of its manifestations by comprehending and addressing these challenges. Notwithstanding advancements, a number of obstacles stand in the way of achieving SDG 1:
- Uneven Progress: Rapid economic growth in countries like China and India has lifted millions out of poverty, but progress remains uneven, with regions like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa still experiencing high levels of poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, nearly half of the population lives below the international poverty threshold. This disparity underscores the need for targeted interventions that address regional specificities and ensure that no one is left behind.
- Climate Change and Conflict: Climate change and conflict usually lead to increased poverty. Extreme weather patterns, natural hazards, and food and water shortages threaten the lives of people living in poverty, who often lack the resources and infrastructure to adapt to these challenges. In conflict-affected countries, poverty rates are nearly three times as high as in countries not affected by conflict, with over 455 million poor people living in such settings. Conflict not only hinders poverty reduction efforts but also reverses hard-won progress, trapping communities in a cycle of despair.
- COVID-19 Pandemic: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major setback to achieve SDG 1. It has ceased or reversed years of development progress, pushing millions back into poverty and chronic hunger. This setback effectively erased approximately three years of progress in poverty alleviation, highlighting the need for resilient social protection systems and emergency responses to mitigate such shocks.
- Multidimensional Poverty: Multidimensional poverty impacts approximately 1.1 billion people globally, with over half a billion of them living in war areas. This is because poverty encompasses more than simply income; it also involves a lack of access to essential services like healthcare, education, and sanitation. Deprivations are more severe in these places, where there are greater incidence of hunger, child mortality, and lack of access to clean water and power. Comprehensive approaches that incorporate social and environmental factors in addition to financial assistance are needed to combat poverty (Kanmodi et al. 2023).
- Lack of Proper Governance and Resources: The implementation of SDG 1 depends on strong governance and sufficient funding. However, issues like corruption, a lack of transparency, and a lack of funds plague many developing nations, making it difficult to put poverty reduction plans into action. Poverty is exacerbated when attempts to create social security programs and pro-poor policies are thwarted by a lack of strong governance frameworks and budgetary commitments
- Measuring Poverty: Accurately measuring poverty is essential for tracking progress toward SDG 1. However, poverty can be subjective and difficult to assess, with different definitions and indicators used across countries. Inefficient measurements can result in performance failures, especially in situations where data collection is challenging. The necessity of consistent and reliable data emphasizes how crucial it is to fund statistical capabilities and standardize poverty measures over the world (UNDP 2025).
Strategies for Achieving SDG 1
To overcome these challenges, several strategies are being implemented:
- Social Protection Systems: Robust social protection programs can be put in place to give the weak and impoverished safety net. By giving families financial support to keep their kids in school and get regular health checkups, several international, regional, national, and subnational initiatives have proven successful in eliminating poverty worldwide (UNICEF 2024).
- International Cooperation: Supporting developing countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty requires increased development cooperation to mobilize resources. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plays a key role in facilitating international cooperation and providing appropriate assistance (UNDP 2025).
- Pro-Poor Policies: Establishing sound policy frameworks based on pro-poor development strategies can accelerate investment in poverty reduction. This comprises laws that ensure equitable access to public incentives, support, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities (World Bank 2022).
Poverty by Regions (UNHCR 2024)
- South Asia: Even while South Asia has seen one of the biggest drops in extreme poverty in recent years, there are still many obstacles to overcome. In comparison to pre-pandemic levels, South Asia’s extreme poverty rate decreased to 9.7% by 2022. Poverty has significantly decreased in South Asia, especially in nations like Bangladesh and India. Problems still exist, though, particularly in rural areas where access to essential services is still restricted. Other developing countries can learn from China’s achievements in reducing poverty.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: The poverty rate in this area has not decreased recently, and it is still very high. With about 36.5% of the people living in poverty, the rate is still stubbornly high. Africa: With a sizable population living in extreme poverty, Africa continues to be the world’s poorest continent. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo both had roughly 11.7% of the world’s population living in extreme poverty in 2025. Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar are other African countries with sizable, impoverished populations. In Africa, the rate of extreme poverty is approximately 45% in rural areas as compared with 7% in urban areas.
- Latin America: Latin America’s poverty rates have varied as a result of inequality and economic instability. Although nations like Brazil have successfully enacted social safety systems, more work must be done to address the underlying causes of poverty. Latin America: Because of inequality and economic instability, poverty rates have fluctuated throughout Latin America. Successful social protection policies have been put in place in nations like Brazil, but more work is required to address the underlying causes of poverty.
Multidimensional Poverty
Over 1.1 billion people globally suffer from multidimensional poverty, with almost half a billion of them residing in areas of war. Living standards, education, and health are all negatively impacted by this type of poverty. Using ten variables from each of these categories, the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) offers a thorough assessment of severe poverty (UNDP 2024). Over the past few decades, considerable progress has been made in eliminating poverty, despite setbacks. There were over 767 million people living below the international poverty threshold of $1.90 per day in 2013, up from about 1.7 billion in 1999. In 2015, 8.4% of working people worldwide lived in poverty; by 2023, that number had dropped to 6.9%. In 2023, however, around 241 million workers worldwide remained in extreme poverty (ILO 2025).
By expanding the base of consumers and promoting investment in human capital, eliminating poverty can stimulate economic growth. Poverty reduction is also crucial for reducing inequalities and promoting socio-economic stability. Accordingly, attaining SDG 1 necessitates a comprehensive strategy that tackles poverty’s social and economic aspects (OECD 2023). While progress has been made, the impact of recent global crises underscores the need for intensified efforts. The world can get closer to eradicating poverty in all its forms by focusing on social protection, international cooperation, and pro-poor policies,
A key objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDG 1, “No Poverty,” seeks to end poverty in all its manifestations by the year 2030 (SDSN 2015). The lack of resources perpetuates a cycle of inequality and deprivation, which undermines efforts to achieve sustainability. Here are several areas closely interconnected with the problem of global poverty:
The Role of Education and Health in Poverty Reduction
Education and healthcare are critical components of poverty reduction strategies. While healthcare guarantees that people can continue to be productive and give back to their communities, access to high-quality education can enhance economic opportunities. To break the cycle of poverty, promote economic recovery, and help those living in disadvantaged conditions, it is imperative to invest in these sectors in addition to other social programs (OECD 2021).Education and healthcare are critical components of poverty reduction strategies. While healthcare guarantees that people can continue to be productive and give back to their communities, access to high-quality education can enhance economic opportunities. To break the cycle of poverty, promote economic recovery, and help those living in disadvantaged conditions, it is imperative to invest in these sectors in addition to other social programs (OECD 2021).
The Impact of Climate Change on Poverty
Because of increased susceptibility to natural disasters and environmental degradation, poverty is made worse by climate change. It is essential to increase resistance to these shocks in order to safeguard vulnerable and impoverished communities. This entails putting catastrophe risk reduction plans into action and encouraging sustainable practices that lessen the effects of climate change.
The Role of International Organizations
International organizations are essential in helping nations work toward SDG 1 in order to reach the no poverty objective. To address poverty worldwide, the UN mobilizes resources, offers technical assistance, and promotes international collaboration through its network of agencies.
Future Prospects and Challenges
Looking ahead, achieving SDG 1 requires addressing emerging challenges such as conflicts, lack of markets transparency, structural inequalities and economic instability. To solve the global poverty crisis, all of these problems—as well as the ones mentioned previously—must be addressed. It is also necessary to foster continued innovation in social protection systems and pro-poor policies. The commitment to “Leave No One Behind” underscores the importance of reaching those farthest behind first, ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to thrive.
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