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Poverty is the state of not having enough material wealth or income to support a person's basic needs.
The ruling class intentionally creates poverty to enrich themselves.[2] Modern capitalist states are embroiled with strife due to poverty,[3][4][5] while the socialist and anti-imperialist world has seen immense successes in lifting their populations out of poverty.[6]
As a result of the 1991 counterrevolution against the Soviet Union, poverty rose from 1% to 29% in the Baltics, 1% to 22% in Belarus, 4% to 66% in Moldova, 2% to 50% in Russia, 2% to 63% in Ukraine, and 15% to 66% in Central Asia.[7]
The first goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is to eradicate extreme poverty worldwide by 2030.[8]
By Country[edit | edit source]
China[edit | edit source]
China has lifted 850 million of its citizens out of poverty through a combination of macroeconomic policies and targeted policies aimed at resolving specific issues in local areas.[9]
United States[edit | edit source]
Poverty remains a major issue in the United States. As of 2025, the top 0.1% of Americans own five times more wealth than the bottom 50% of Americans combined.[10] The city of Detroit has an official poverty rate of 37.9%; the situation is exacerbated by unaffordable housing prices, unemployment, and corruption.[11]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The global decline of extreme poverty – was it only China? by Max Roser on Our World in Data
- ↑ Nick Estes, et al. (2021). Red Nation Rising: 'Anti-Indianism' (p. 32). [PDF]
- ↑ How America is reverting back to the feudal age by Joel Kotkin on New York Post
- ↑ America: A Third World Country without Malaria by Atul Singh on Fair Observer
- ↑ Deutsche Welle. "How poor people survive in the USA | DW Documentary" Deutsche Welle.
- ↑ Chart of the Day: China as a facilitator of global poverty alleviation by CGTN
- ↑ Branko Milanovic (1998). Income, Inequality, and Poverty during the Transition from Planned to Market Economy: 'Poverty; By How Much Has Poverty Increased?' (p. 68). [PDF] Washington, D.C.: World Bank. ISBN 082133994X
- ↑ "Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 1". United Nations. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
- ↑ Amanda Yee, KJ Noh, Tings Chak (2024-10-21). "The Real Chinese ‘Threat’: Lifting 850 Million Out of Poverty" BreakThrough News. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
- ↑ "Survey of Consumer Finances, Distribution of Household Wealth in the U.S. since 1989.". Federal Reserve. Retrieved 2025-09-10.
- ↑ Jerry White (2025-02-12). "A tragedy caused by capitalism: Two Detroit children freeze to death in homeless family’s vehicle" WSWS. Retrieved 2025-09-10.