In the world today it is estimated that over 1.85 billion people, or around 23% of the global population, live in poverty. This is often defined as living on less than 3.65 USD a day. However, there have been enormous successes in reducing global poverty in recent decades. So, if this progress continues, does that mean we could entirely eradicate poverty? Sadly, almost certainly not. In fact, there are several key reasons why there will always be poverty in the world…
1. There Wil Always Be Inequality
A first reason why there will always be poverty is because there will always be inequality.
It is impossible to create a truly equal world. There will always be factors that make some people poorer and others richer. On a macro-level, factors such as a countries government, economy, political system or geography all affect its level of poverty. On an individual level, education, healthcare, culture, individual life choices, and just bad luck, can affect someone’s ability to earn money and have a good quality of life.
Neither the macro-factors nor individual factors that create inequality can be entirely removed. As a result, there is always going to be some people living in poverty.
Although programmes are run and attempts made to reduce inequality, it is simply impossible to completely make everyone equal. When attempts have been made to engineer societies to ingrain equality – it has almost always resulted in more inequality and poverty, not less. This further shows that we will always have destitution in the world.
2. International Development Doesn’t Always Work
A second reason why there will always be poverty in the world is because international development efforts do not always succeed.
Billions of dollars each year are spent by rich nations to try and alleviate poverty in developing countries. This money is spent directly on running international developments projects, implemented through the UN or NGOs, as well as given in grants directly to the governments of poorer nations to help fund their public services and poverty alleviation programmes.
Although there have been major successes in reducing poverty around the world in recent decades, poverty is still always going to exist because international development assistance can only go so far. Not only are a significant proportion of development projects badly designed and so fail to have a genuine impact, but others are held back by entrenched corruption, mismanagement or blockages placed by authorities.
Huge amounts of money have been poured into international development over the years – enough to eradicate poverty the world over. However, the fact that these have failed to lift people out of destitution shows there will always be poverty in the world.
3. The ‘Poverty Trap’ Holds People In Poverty
A major factor in why there will always be poverty is because many people will remain stuck in the poverty trap.
The poverty trap is an economic term for a series of mechanisms that make it hard for people to escape poverty. There are many factors that can cause someone to fall into poverty, for example poor health, loss of employment or loss of a home. However, if, for example, one of these factors occur to someone, they are likely to impacted by the others – if you lose your job, you are more likely to lose your home, and in-turn, experience poor health.
As well as inter-linked factors causing people to fall into destitution, there are also connected events that trap people in poverty. For example, if you have lose your job, you will struggle to get enough money to rent a house. In-turn, its hard to get a job if you do not have somewhere to live. These are simplified examples but they show how people get trapped in poverty.
The poverty trap is extremely difficult to break. Although governments and development programmes focus heavily on breaking the cycle of poverty, they often fail to do so. As a result, poverty is almost certainly going to always exist.
4. There Will Always Be Conflicts
Another reason why there will always be poverty is because there will always be wars.
War is one of the major drivers of poverty. Conflicts not only cause massive death and destruction, but also wreak economic devastation. Areas that experience conflict see a massive rise in poverty. People’s lives and livelihoods are destroyed, as well as the fabrics of their communities. Societies affected by conflicts also often lose the capacities to recover and require external assistance. If this isn’t effective, then poverty can become intrenched.
The fact that there will always be wars means there will always be poverty. Human beings have throughout history waged war with each other and, sadly, this is not going to change. As long as there are armies fighting there will be communities plunged into poverty as a result.
Modern wars increasingly target civilian populations. No longer do armies fight in a field away from non-combatants. Today, civilians are often deliberately targeted as a method of waging war. As a result, more communities will become poverty stricken – further proof that poverty is always going to be with us.
5. Some People Benefit From Keeping Others In Poverty
One reason why there will always be poverty is because some people benefit by keeping others trapped in destitution.
Poverty is not inevitable. We have the resources, and methods, to lift everyone out of the poverty. Countries that have been able to rapidly develop have shown that, if the political will is there, that huge numbers of people can be removed from destitution. However, often the political will isn’t there, and this can because there are those that actually benefit from others living in poverty. This fact is it almost impossible to change, and so it’s a key reason why we will always have poverty.
There are many reasons why those in power may want to keep a large proportion of their population’s poverty stricken. One of the main ones is to retain political power. The other is because it is in their economic interests. Keeping people in poverty often allows elites greater control, and less competition, over key economic sectors.
Few countries have inclusive and accountable pollical systems. This helps those in power to keep control, and to ensure people live in poverty. Until this changes, we will always have people living in destitution.
6. Not All Countries Can Create Dynamic Economies
A further reason why there will always be poverty is because not all countries can create strong economies.
Economic growth is vital for poverty reduction. As economies grow there are more opportunities for people to work, get jobs and start businesses. People are also, overall, getting richer when an economy grows. As well as economic growth helping individuals to lift themselves out of poverty, economic expansion also means that government revenues increase through more taxation. This gives the state more funds to spend on public services and programmes that also help to lift people out of destitution.
There is always going to be poverty in the world because we will never reach a place where every country has a dynamic and growing economy. Political systems, economic constraints, lack of resources, armed conflicts, humanitarian crises and geography are just a few reasons why some places in the world simply won’t see the economic growth needed to lift their populations out of poverty. This is a sad fact, but it’s also a reason why we are always going to see poverty in some places.
7. There Has Always Been Poverty
A final reason why there will always be poverty in the world is because there always has been poverty.
There have always been humans that have lived in destitution. In fact, until very recently, the vast majority of all people lived in extreme poverty. It is only in recent decades that any significant proportion of humanity has been lifted into a decent quality of living. Poverty has always existed, and it is almost certain that it always will.
As we’ve discussed, the factors that drive poverty, such as inequality, conflict, lack of economic growth, and inefficient and bad governance, are almost impossible to eradicate all over the world. Although huge efforts are made, and billions of dollars are spent by governments, and in international aid, still millions of people live in poverty. Sadly, even though these efforts may improve the lives of many people, the intrenched conditions that cause poverty are unlikely to be overcome. And therefore… there will always be people living in poverty.