Soaring Global Conflicts Driving Surge in Extreme Poverty, Says World Bank

The World Bank has raised the alarm over the sharp rise in violent conflicts across the globe, warning that the escalation is fueling an unprecedented surge in extreme poverty, especially in fragile and conflict-affected regions.

According to a new study released on Friday, conflicts and associated fatalities have more than tripled since the early 2000s, placing immense pressure on already vulnerable economies.

These conflict zones have now become the epicenters of global poverty and food insecurity, the report states.

“Economies in fragile and conflict-affected regions are no longer peripheral they are now central to the global poverty narrative,” the World Bank said.

In 2024 alone, about 421 million people are surviving on less than $3 per day in countries plagued by violence and instability. If current trends persist, that number could climb to 435 million by 2030, dashing hopes of meeting global poverty reduction targets.

World Bank Group Chief Economist, Indermit Gill, underscored that while global attention has been fixated on high-profile conflicts like those in Ukraine and the Middle East over the past three years, many crisis-stricken nations have endured prolonged instability.

“Half of the countries facing conflict or instability today have been in such conditions for 15 years or more,” Gill said, suggesting that these entrenched conflicts are fostering generational cycles of poverty and underdevelopment.

The report calls for a renewed international focus on long-term conflict resolution, targeted investments in peacebuilding, and resilience-focused development strategies. Without urgent and sustained action, the World Bank warns that conflict-driven poverty could derail decades of progress in global development.