Statement by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on End Poverty Day

The World Bank



DHAKA, Bangladesh, October 17, 2016 – World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim issued the following statement on End Poverty Day on progress made in the last year to collect more survey data on poverty around the world:

"At the World Bank Group, every day is End Poverty Day. Today, when we celebrate End Poverty Day -- more formally known as the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -- we join together with partners everywhere to mark the great progress made by countries around the world. But we also mark this day by reassessing whether we are on track to meet our goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030.

We know that we’ll never meet our poverty target without collecting good data. One year ago, I pledged that we would work alongside our partners in countries and international organizations to support more frequent and better quality surveys, especially in the world’s poorest countries, to assess whether people’s lives are improving. Our pledge was by 2020 to begin collecting household survey data in the 78 poorest countries at least once every three years.

Today, I’m proud to say that we are making progress. In the Sub-Saharan Africa region, which has major gaps in data, 41 out of 48 countries have surveys ongoing or planned in the next two years; we are helping to finance at least 32 of these surveys. As of 2012, only 27 of the 48 countries had conducted at least two comparable surveys since 1990 to track poverty.

On End Poverty Day, I want to take this opportunity to renew our call to join the greatest mission on earth: ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. By focusing our resources on three areas – promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, investing in human capital, and fostering resilience to shocks – and by measuring our progress, it’s possible to achieve our goals. With thanks to the tireless work of governments, our partners, our shareholders, and our dedicated staff, I know that our aspirations for the poor will meet the aspirations of the poor themselves.”