Education and Extreme Poverty Brief
Education as a Means of Reducing Extreme Poverty
The World Bank defines extreme poverty as a global threshold based on an average per capita consumption of $1.25 (U.S. dollars) per day based on 2005 purchasing power parity-adjusted dollars. Currently, extreme poverty affects approximately 1.2 billion people in the world. Education is one of the most valuable tools for increasing an individual's earning potential and, in this way, lifting him or her out of extreme poverty. USAID and other donors aim to reduce the number of individuals living in extreme poverty through program and policy support to ensure basic human rights for all and to promote global stability.