Why the World Bank is changing the definition of the word "poor" - Vox

Why the World Bank is changing the definition of the word "poor" - Vox: "At the United Nations' big gathering in late September, world leaders signed on to an ambitious pledge: "By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day." But just 10 days later, the goalposts shifted. The World Bank – which is in charge of setting the global poverty line — announced it was raising the line from $1.25 to $1.90 a day.

What gives? The cynical explanation is that the World Bank wants to make it harder to eradicate poverty by widening the definition; the fewer poor people there are, after all, the less there is for the World Bank to do.

The real answer is less alarming: The bank is just trying to make sure poverty data stays consistent over time. But the sudden, jarring change is an important reminder that you can’t capture the actual condition of the world’s poor in just one simple number."



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