Global Distribution of Poverty

Table of Contents

Global Poverty Data Set

National-level Poverty Data Sets

• Indirect Estimation Techniques
  • Small Area Estimates Poverty & Inequality Data Set
  • Poverty and Food Security Country Case Studies
• Other Indirect Estimation Techniques
  • Combining Surveys with Remote Sensing Data
• Direct Estimation Techniques
  • Unsatisfied Basic Needs Data Set

Global Poverty Data Set

At a global scale, poverty is usually represented by national-level indicators such as gross domestic product or population living on less than one U.S. dollar per day. These indicators are not available at a subnational level for most countries. CIESIN constructed global data sets of poverty that are based on estimates of subnational infant mortality and child malnutrition data, recognizing that both are proxies for poverty and welfare rather than direct measures. Data were drawn from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), national Human Development Reports (HDRs), and other sources. These data were first linked to boundary data for their reporting regions and then translated to a common grid. For details on how these data sets were constructed please refer to the Global Poverty Catalog and to the following publication:

Storeygard, A., D. Balk, M. Levy, and G. Deane. 2008. “The Global Distribution of Infant Mortality: A Subnational Spatial View.” Population, Space and Place. [Abstract]

The article describes how the data set was produced, delineates its known    strengths and weaknesses, and reports some spatial patterns that emerge, such as the relationship between coastal proximity and poverty rates.