Poverty · People & Poverty
People below the lower-middle-income poverty line
A broader measure of global poverty
3,500,000,000
Current total · Example period
What this number is
Poverty measured at a higher threshold than the extreme line, closer to what most countries consider poor.
A wider definition of poverty than the extreme poverty line.
Why it matters
Most of the world's poverty sits above the extreme line and is often left out of headlines.
How it is produced
Survey-based consumption data at higher poverty thresholds.
Plato's Cave classifies this figure as ESTIMATED. Estimated figures are built from samples and surveys, then scaled up. They carry a margin that is rarely printed alongside the headline.
How to read it carefully
This entry is still showing an example figure while research reaches it. Do not cite the number — use the sources below and the framing above.
Reference period: Example period. Last checked: Placeholder.
Plato's Cave commentary
Poverty lines are decisions, not discoveries. Move the threshold by a small amount and hundreds of millions of people cross it without anything changing in their lives.
This is why Plato's Cave shows both the share and the headcount. A falling percentage and a rising number of people can be true at the same time.