MDGs

• The MDGs have been seen to have saved the lives of millions and improved the standards of living for many more
• What effect have the MDGs had on improving global development up to 2015?
• Extreme poverty has been significantly reduced over the last 20 years
• In 1990 over half the population in LEDCs lived on less that $1.25 a day and this dropped to 14% in 2015
• This was still around 300 million workers living below the poverty line in 2015
• The number of people living in extreme poverty declined from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015
• This means that more than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1990
• However, over 800 million people are still living in extreme poverty
• The number of people living on more than $4 a day tripled to 50% of the workforce in 2015 (up from 18% in 1991)
• The amount of undernourished people in LEDCs fell from 23.3% in 1990 to 12.9% in 2015
• However, about 795 million people are estimated to remain undernourished (including more than 90 million children under the age of five)
• The primary school enrolment rate for LEDCs reached 91% in 2015, up from 83% in 2000
• The number of children not in school fell from 100 million in 2000 to 57 million in 2015
• However, in LEDCs, children in the poorest households are still four times more likely to be out of school than those in the richer households
• There are more girls in education now compared with 15 years ago
• In South Asia in 1990, only 74 girls were enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys. This rose to 103 girls to every 100 boys in 2015
• Female literacy rates are generally 10% lower than male
• Women now make up 41% of paid workers outside of agriculture (from 35% in 1990)
• The proportion of women in vulnerable employment between 1990 and 2015 declined by 13%
• Women still have to come to terms with significant gaps in terms of poverty, labour market and wages, as well as participation in decision making in the public sector
• Nearly 90% of 174 countries with data have achieved gender parity in primary education
• Globally, about three quarters of working age men participate in the labour force compared to only half of working age women
• Women earn 24% less than men globally