Data Stories

Granular data reveal how climate change vulnerability influences the incidence of poverty.

 
The figure below shows the proportion of the population living below various poverty lines in 2022 within economies categorized by levels of vulnerability to climate change and grouped by income level. The analysis suggests that, among lower-income economies, prevalence of poverty was higher in the economies that also had higher levels of climate change vulnerability. For instance, among the low income and lower middle-income economies, the incidence of extreme poverty (those living on less than $2.15 per day) was 1.9% in economies with low vulnerability risk, but this figure rose to 8.8% in the high-risk economies.
 
Notably, within the upper middle-income and high income economies, there were a minimal number of localities that were classified as high risk, suggesting that these economies might have better infrastructure and systems in place to mitigate climate vulnerability, or they could be geographically less exposed to severe climate hazards.

Proportion of People Living Below Various Poverty Lines, by Level of Vulnerability Risk and by Economy Income Grouping

Prevalence of poverty was significantly higher in low income and lower middle-income economies with high levels of vulnerability to natural hazards and associated disasters.
Proportion of People Living Below Various Poverty Lines, by Level of Vulnerability Risk and by Economy Income Grouping
$ = United States dollars.
Note: For the purpose of this analysis, Low Risk includes Very Low, Low, and Medium Risk categories, while High Risk includes both High Risk and Very High Risk as defined by the Climate-Driven INFORM Risk Index from the International Monetary Fund.
Sources: Asian Development Bank analysis using World Bank 2017 poverty estimates based on purchasing power parity; and International Monetary Fund. Climate-Driven INFORM Risk Index.

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