Over 3 billion people around the world live on less than $2.50 a day. That makes up almost half the worlds population. Additionally, 80 percent of the worlds populations lives in countries where their Gini coefficient is rapidly rising. Today, poverty is a very present problem. Many people make efforts around the world to end this crisis. However, if you stop and look around you will notice that there is often wealth near by. Large amounts of wealth and poverty can usually both be found in countries, creating a divide of lifestyles between citizens. Rich citizens and business men live nice and privileged lives and continue to earn more money with their money. This problem only worsens over time; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Most poor people end up getting dug in a pit of depth and poverty that is nearly impossible to get out of. Bad jobs and low wages are attracted to poorer areas, giving them low incomes. unpaid loans and bills generate interest and putting checking accounts farther in the red each day. This extreme poverty lives to unsafe living conditions, unsanitary food, unclean water, and, in turn, expensive medical bills. More than 2.6 billion people live without basic sanitation in their everyday lives. Not only that, but very few poor ever get an adequate enough education to break free of poverty and get a better job. Most poor people live without the simple and under appreciated protections and services we are provided with.
Poverty could be fixed to a point where no person would have to wonder how they would get clean water everyday they get up in the morning or feed their family. It may seem like a huge problem (which it obviously is), but that doesn't mean we can't work towards fixing it. If we took one percent of the money we spent on weapons worldwide, we could solve world poverty. There are many other things that we can stop in order to work farther towards the elimination of poverty. One thing would be to produce less waste by recycling more, being more efficient, and resourceful. Removing corruption from our economies would increase the flow of income to the poor and release it from the hands of the people who definitely don't need more of it. More money is spent on things such as military, narcotics, alcohol, and even pet food rather than basic sanitation, water, food, and health, Throughout the world, poverty is consuming and hurting the lower class, while we do very little to help.