Poverty Facts
Web links may have changed since this site was published.
Global:
Unctad.org
- Number of people living in poverty in less developed countries in 2000: 334 million
- Projected number of people living in poverty in less developed countries in 2010: 471 million
Globalissues.org
- Number of people in the world: 6.5 billion
- Number of people in the world living on less than $2 a day: 3 billion
- Number of people at the beginning of the 21st century unable to read: one billion
- Number of children worldwide who die each day due to poverty: 30,000
- Number of children in the world: 2.2 billion
- Number of children in the world living in poverty: 1 billion
Bread.org
- Number of people in the world who went hungry last year: 852 million
- Number of people in the world who are going hungry this year: 854 million
- Number of children who die each day from hunger-related causes: 16,000
- Number of children who die every five seconds from hunger-related causes: 1
Thinkquest.org
- Number of people living in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: 471 million
- Number of people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia living on less than $1 a day: 24 million
- Number of people in Eastern Europe and Central Asia living on less than $2 a day: 97 million
Globalpolicy.org
- Estimated number of children age 14 and under working in sub-Saharan Africa in 2004: 49 million
- Percentage of sub-Saharan Africans living on less than $1 a day: 44
Usaid.gov
- Number of people in South Asia who live on less than $1 a day: half a billion
State.gov
- Number of people in South Asia who do not have access to safe water: 240 million
- Number of people in South Asia who do not have proper sanitation: half a billion
UN Poverty Facts (pdf)
National:
Usccb.org
- Number of Americans living in poverty today: 37 million
- Poverty rate in the U.S.: 12.6 percent
- Percentage of children in the total U.S. population: 25
- Percentage of children in the U.S. poor population: 34.9
- Percentage of children under six living in poor families with only a female householder: 52.9
- Yearly earnings of a single parent of two young children working full-time in a minimum wage job: $10,712
- Poverty threshold set by the federal government for one person: $9,973
- Poverty threshold set by the federal government for a family of three: $15,577
- Poverty threshold set by the federal government for a family of four: $19,971
- The increase of poor people in the U.S. from 2000 to 2005: 6 million
Savethechildren.org
- Ratio of children who live in poverty in America: one in six
Nccp.org
- Percentage of children living in poverty who have at least one parent working full-time and year-round: 55
- Number of children in the above category: 15.6 million
Some.org
- Adults (18-64 yrs. old) currently living in poverty in the United States: 1 in 10
- Seniors (over 65 yrs. old) who live in poverty in the United States: 1 in 10
- Children (under 18 yrs. old) living in poverty: 2 in 10
- Percentage of children who make up the total population: 25
- Percentage of poor Americans who are children: 34.9
- Percentage of homeless families who have 1 child, 2 children, and three or more children respectively: 26, 28, 30
- Percentage of the homeless population who have a high school diploma: 62
- Percentage of the homeless population who are employed: 44
State:
Usccb.org
Facts about Alabama
- Number of counties in Alabama: 67
Alabamapoverty.org
- Number of Alabama counties with a single digit poverty rate: 1
UA.edu
- Number of Alabama counties that fell below 65% of U.S. per capita income in 1999: 17
Gbm.org
- Number of households in Alabama in poverty in 2000: 1,737,080
Alabamapovertyproject.org
- Percentage of Alabama workers who lose their jobs annually because they are academically or technologically unable to keep up: 30
Caaalabama.org
- Number of jobs Alabama has lost in the last five years: 35,000
Census.gov
- In 2003, 3rd graders in Alabama did not surpass the national average on Stanford Achievement tests in any of the tested areas: math, reading or language.
Adapted from Leon-Guerrero, Ann. 2005. Social Problems: Community, Action and Social Policy. Pine Forge Press.
- Only 38% of households in Alabama have internet access. Alabama ranks 48th out of the 50 states in the percentage of households with internet access. (Source: US Census Bureau 2003).
- Alabama ranks 3rd (tied with Alaska) out of the 50 states for the highest three-year average poverty rate. (Source: DeNavas et. al 2004)
- Alabama ranks 39th out of the 50 states in the average hourly wage estimates for all occupations (Source: US Department of Labor 2002)
- Seventy-seven percent (77%) of residents of Alabama 25 years of age and older do not have college degrees. This puts Alabama in the 42nd slot out of the 50 states for college graduation (Source: Stoops: 2004).
- Fifty-six percent (56%) of grandparents residing in Alabama are responsible for their grandchildren. This places Alabama in the 45th spot for percentages of grandparents taking care of children (Source: Simmons and Dye 2003).
Kids Count
- Five of ten measures affecting child well-being show increasing signs of progress in Alabama.
- Alabama is still 47th in the country when it comes to child well-being.
This work was prepared by the fall 2007 seminar class, American Government and Politics, taught by Dr. Darrell Hamlin.