Africa’s Economic Growth Insufficient to Curb Rising Poverty, Warns World Bank
Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic growth will not be enough to reverse rising poverty levels over the next two years, according to the latest World Bank Africa Pulse report released in April 2025.
The report paints a worrying picture, predicting that an additional 90 million people will fall below the global poverty line by 2027, despite modest economic gains. The poverty rate, measured against the international threshold of $2.15 (approximately KSh300) per person per day, is expected to rise to 43.9% in 2025, before seeing a slight decline to 43.2% by 2027.
“The poverty rate is expected to increase slightly over 2022-27, while the number of poor is expected to increase by 90 million people during this time,” the World Bank warned.
The rise is attributed to factors such as rapid population growth, limited investment in income-generating sectors, and the lingering effects of inflation, which continue to weigh heavily on the most vulnerable households.
In raw numbers, the World Bank estimates that the total number of poor people in Sub-Saharan Africa will increase from 576 million in 2025 to 589 million by 2027.
In Kenya, the situation mirrors the regional trend. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) places the national poverty rate at around 40%. Urban poverty stands at 33.2%, with individuals spending less than KSh8,000 monthly, while 42.9% of rural residents live on less than KSh4,300 monthly.
Overall, this means that over 20 million Kenyans were unable to meet the poverty line threshold in 2022 alone. Worse still, the hardcore poverty headcount — those unable to afford basic food needs — was 7.1%, representing about 3.6 million individuals.
Food poverty remains alarmingly high in certain counties, with Turkana (64.3%), Mandera (60.4%), Samburu (56.7%), and Marsabit (54.4%) leading the statistics. Nairobi City (15.8%), Nyeri (18.2%), and Kiambu (18.3%) posted the lowest food poverty rates.
Counties with the highest overall poverty rates include Turkana (82.7%), Mandera (72.9%), Samburu (71.9%), Garissa (67.8%), Tana River (66.7%), Marsabit (66.1%), and Wajir (64.7%).
Globally, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear the brunt of extreme poverty, accounting for about 80% of the world’s 695 million extremely poor in 2024. By comparison, South Asia holds 8%, East Asia and the Pacific 2%, the Middle East and North Africa 5%, and Latin America and the Caribbean 3%.
Despite projected economic growth between 2025 and 2027, the World Bank warns that it will not be enough to make a significant dent in poverty levels or fulfill the expectations of millions in the region.
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Africa’s Economic Growth Insufficient to Curb Rising Poverty, Warns World Bank