March 2026 global poverty update from the World Bank: New data and updated poverty numbers Jonas Helth LønborgMartha ViverosR. Andres Castaneda AguilarChristoph LaknerGabriel Lara IbarraMinh Cong Nguyen March 26, 2026

March 2026 global poverty update from the World Bank: New data and updated poverty numbers Jonas Helth LønborgMartha ViverosR. Andres Castaneda AguilarChristoph LaknerGabriel Lara IbarraMinh Cong Nguyen March 26, 2026 https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/march-2026-global-poverty-update-from-the-world-bank--new-data-a Global poverty estimates up to 2024 were updated today on the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), including nowcasted estimates up to 2026. The share of the global population living in extreme poverty in 2024 is revised upwards slightly from 10.3 percent to 10.4 percent. The update involves three changes to the PIP data (see the What’s New document for more details): First, the update brings new survey data for a total of 28 country-years, including new data for Pakistan, which ensures regional coverage for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region in recent years; second, existing data is improved for several country-years; and third, it incorporates an updated approach to improve the precision of data used from the Luxembourg Income Study Database for several advanced economies.