Goal 1 of 17

No poverty

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

What this goal is about

Goal 1 asks the world to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to cut poverty of every kind, as each country defines it, by at least half. It covers income, but also the things that keep people trapped: no safety net when illness or a flood hits, no secure claim to land, and no access to a bank account or basic services.

Progress has slowed badly. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026 estimates that about 826 million people, around one in ten, live on less than $3.00 a day, and that roughly 9% of the world will still be in extreme poverty in 2030 on current trends.

Poverty matters to everyone else because it shapes health, schooling, migration, stability and the size of future markets. It is also the goal where the plainest tools, cash, jobs and social protection, have the strongest evidence behind them.

826 millionpeople living on less than $3.00 a dayUnited Nations, Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, 2026

3.8 billionpeople with no social protection benefit at allUnited Nations, Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, 2023

284 millionworkers living in extreme poverty despite having a jobUnited Nations, Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, 2025

71%share of the world's extreme poor in sub-Saharan AfricaUnited Nations, Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026, 2026

The main targets

1.1

End extreme poverty for everyone by 2030. The target text uses the older $1.25 a day line; the World Bank line is now $3.00.

1.2

By 2030, at least halve the share of men, women and children living in poverty in all its dimensions, using national definitions.

1.3

Build national social protection systems, including minimum floors, and cover most poor and vulnerable people by 2030.

1.4

Give all people, especially the poor, equal rights to economic resources, basic services, land, property, new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

1.5

Make poor and vulnerable people more resilient to climate extremes, disasters and economic, social and environmental shocks.

1.a

Mobilise money from many sources, including development cooperation, so developing countries can fund programmes that end poverty.

1.b

Set up national, regional and international policies that are pro-poor and gender-sensitive, to speed up investment in ending poverty.

Summaries in plain English. The full wording of every target and indicator is on the UN Goal 1 page.

What businesses can do

Pay enough, and on time. Benchmark wages against local living costs, not only the legal minimum. Pay small suppliers and freelancers promptly, because late payment pushes cash problems onto the people least able to absorb them.
Hire beyond the usual pool. Offer apprenticeships and entry roles to people without degrees or with gaps in their work history, and train them properly.
Buy from small producers. Source some goods and services from local small businesses, cooperatives and social enterprises, on fair and written terms.
Design for low-income customers. Small pack sizes, transparent fees, offline-friendly apps and simple language make products usable by people on tight or irregular incomes.
Give to what works. If you donate, back programmes with published evidence, such as direct cash transfers or the graduation approach, and report what you gave.

What you can do

Learn how poverty is measured. Read the UN and World Bank figures and how the $3.00 line works, so you can spot misleading claims.
Volunteer locally. Help a food bank, homework club or community centre near you. Under-18s should go with a parent, teacher or registered group.
Spend and give with care. Buy from small local sellers where you can, and check that any charity you support explains where the money goes.
Study for it. Economics, public policy, social work, data science and finance all lead to careers that work on poverty directly.

Where digital tools help

Software helps most where it moves money and information with less leakage: digital ID and bank accounts that let governments pay benefits directly, mobile money that lets families save and receive transfers, and data that helps find people who need support when no registry exists, as Togo did with phone and satellite data in 2020. These tools depend on connectivity, good data protection and offline fallbacks; a failed fingerprint check or a missing phone can still shut someone out.

Technology advice Web apps and SaaS