Sustainable Development Goal 1
"End poverty in all its forms everywhere"
Linkage with other SDGs
Eradicating poverty in all its forms is the cornerstone of sustainable development. Poverty impedes access to resources, opportunities, and basic services, creating barriers to progress on virtually every other SDG. Addressing poverty has cascading benefits across social, economic, and environmental dimensions.
The following direct and indirect interlinkages exist between SDG 1 and all other SDGs:
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger: Poverty is a leading cause of hunger and malnutrition, as poor households cannot afford adequate and nutritious food. Conversely, hunger undermines productivity, trapping communities in poverty cycles. Example: In Ethiopia, food assistance programs linked with income-generating activities have simultaneously reduced hunger and lifted families out of poverty.
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being: Poverty limits access to healthcare, clean water, and sanitation, increasing vulnerability to diseases and reducing life expectancy. Poor health, in turn, perpetuates poverty by reducing productivity and increasing healthcare costs. Example: In Rwanda, free community-based health insurance has significantly improved health outcomes among low-income populations, enabling them to break the poverty cycle.
SDG 4 - Quality Education: Poverty denies children access to education, perpetuating cycles of low literacy and unemployment. Education, in turn, provides the skills needed for higher-paying jobs and economic mobility. Example: Brazil's Bolsa Família program, which provides conditional cash transfers to poor families in exchange for school attendance, has improved education rates and reduced intergenerational poverty.
SDG 5 - Gender Equality: Women are disproportionately affected by poverty due to systemic inequalities in access to resources, education, and employment opportunities. Gender equality initiatives empower women economically, reducing poverty rates. Example: Microfinance programs targeting women in Bangladesh have improved household incomes and reduced poverty.
SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation: Poverty limits access to clean water and sanitation, increasing exposure to waterborne diseases. Access to these basic services improves health and productivity, reducing poverty. Example: Investments in clean water infrastructure in rural Kenya have boosted community health and economic activity.
SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy: Energy poverty disproportionately affects low-income households, limiting their ability to access economic opportunities and basic services. Providing affordable energy reduces household expenditures and enables income-generating activities. Example: Solar lighting projects in off-grid communities in India have improved education and income opportunities, reducing poverty.
SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth: Poverty reduction relies on creating decent jobs and ensuring fair wages. Economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable plays a vital role in lifting communities out of poverty. Example: Ethiopia’s industrialisation strategy has created thousands of jobs, lifting families out of poverty while contributing to national economic growth.
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities: Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of inequalities. Policies that address income and resource disparities are crucial to reducing poverty. Example: Progressive tax systems in Nordic countries have significantly reduced income inequality and poverty rates.
SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities: Urban poverty in slums exacerbates social and economic vulnerabilities. Affordable housing and access to basic services are key to reducing urban poverty. Example: Slum upgrade programs in Brazil have provided low-income families with better housing, sanitation, and access to services, reducing urban poverty.
SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production: Poverty often forces unsustainable practices such as overexploitation of natural resources for survival. Responsible consumption and production ensure that vulnerable communities benefit equitably from sustainable systems.
SDG 13 - Climate Action: Climate change disproportionately impacts low-income communities, exacerbating poverty through displacement, loss of livelihoods, and increased vulnerability to disasters. Climate adaptation and mitigation efforts help shield the poor from such impacts. Example: In Bangladesh, investment in climate-resilient infrastructure like flood barriers has protected low-income communities from climate shocks.
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Conflict and weak governance trap communities in cycles of poverty by limiting access to resources and opportunities. Stable institutions and equitable policies are vital for eradicating poverty. Example: Post-conflict recovery programs in Colombia have focused on inclusive development to reduce poverty and rebuild communities.
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals: Global partnerships and international financial support are essential to mobilise resources and implement poverty reduction programs, especially in low-income countries. Example: The World Bank’s International Development Association funds projects that address extreme poverty in the poorest nations.
Consquence of failing to reach targets
Failing to eradicate poverty undermines the progress of nearly every other SDG. Without addressing poverty:
- Hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2) persist, reducing productivity and economic potential.
- Poor communities remain vulnerable to health crises (SDG 3), perpetuating cycles of illness and financial strain.
- Education (SDG 4) becomes inaccessible for millions, perpetuating intergenerational poverty.
- Climate resilience (SDG 13) remains elusive, as impoverished communities cannot afford adaptation strategies.
Eradicating poverty is not just a moral imperative but a necessary foundation for achieving sustainable development. Progress in SDG 1 has a cascading effect on all other goals, enabling individuals and communities to thrive.
SDG 1: Targets, Indicators, Progress and Data
By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day.
1.1.1: Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural).
Extreme poverty levels returned to pre-pandemic levels in most countries by 2022, except in low-income countries where recovery has been slower. In 2022, 9% of the world's population or 712 million people were living in extreme poverty, an increase of 23 million people compared to 2019. If current trends continue, 590 million people, or 6.9% of the world’s population will still live in extreme poverty by 2030.
By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
1.2.1: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
1.2.2: Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
Though data covering the period of COVID-19 are limited, the pandemic is likely to have slowed progress made in halving national poverty rates. Given historical trends, less than 30% of countries worldwide will have halved poverty by 2030.
Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.
1.3.1: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable.
In 2023, only 28.2% of child globally received child cash benefits, compared to 22.1% in 2015, leaving 1.4 billion children aged 0-15 without coverage. To guarantee at least a basic level of social protection for all children, upper- and lower-middle-income countries would need to invest an additional US$98.1 billion and US$88.8 billion, respectively, while low-income countries would require an additional US$59.6 billion.
Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.
1.4.1: Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services.
1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure.
The progress of this target is measured by the proportion of the population living in households with access to these basic services (See Data Sets). No further information is available at this time.
By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.
1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.
1.5.2: Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP).
1.5.3: Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
1.5.4: Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies.
Economic losses due to disasters remained stubbornly high in recent years and showed no sign of alleviation. Between 2015 and 2022 direct economic loss has been reported to exceed more than $115 billion per year worldwide, which amounted to 0.3% of the GDP of the reporting countries.
Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions.
1.A.1: Total official development assistance grants from all donors that focus on poverty reduction as a share of the recipient country's gross national income.
1.A.2: Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection).
Data from approximately 100 countries show that the proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection) is approximately 50%, with an average of 60% amongst advanced economies and 40% amongst emerging market and developing economies. While this indicator trends slightly upward for both groups over the past two decades, the gap between them remains stable at approximately 20 percentage points.
Create sound policy frameworks to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions.
1.B.1: Pro-poor public social spending.
This indicator measures spending by country governments on health, education, and direct transfers to benefit the poor. Data is not currently available for most countries and is not reported here.