Overall progress slowed temporarily in some Asian countries in the late 1990s, and ground to a halt or reversed in others. In the rest of the world, while the proportion of people in poverty declined, population growth meant that the number of poor people increased. And in the countries of the former Soviet Union, undergoing economic and social transition, the proportion of poor more than trebled. The numbers of poor are greatest in South Asia, but the proportions are highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the poor live in rural areas, but urban poverty is growing faster.
Women are more likely than men to lack rights to land and other assets.
They also have difficulty getting access to credit. And they lack adequate employment and economic security in old age. In many developing countries, the poor struggle at the margin of the formal economy. They lack political influence, education, healthcare, shelter, personal safety, regular income and food. An important symptom of poverty is malnutrition.