The global poverty trends:(i) Fall in global poverty - The World Bank defines poverty as living on less than $ 1 per day. There has been a substantial reduction in global poverty. It has fallen from 28 percent in 1990 to 21 per cent in 2001.
(ii)Regional variation - Although there has been a substantial reduction in global poverty, it is marked with great regional variation. Poverty declined substantially in China and South-East Asian countries as a result of rapid economic growth and massive investment in human resources development. But the pace of reduction of poverty in South Asian countries is very slow.
(iii)Poverty in India - Poverty in India has also declined, but the pace of reduction is very slow. According to World Bank s definition, 35.3% of the total population is still living below the poverty line.