In fact, in 1990, 80% of the world’s poor were living in South Asia, while only 13.8% were in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2019, though, the share in South Asia fell to 31.4% while that of Sub-Saharan Africa increased to 56.6%. In fact, the only country outside Sub-Saharan Africa included as an FCS that registered a poverty rate above 60% was Syria. South Sudan and Burundi, with a poverty rate of over 70%, had the highest poverty rate globally. In at least eight Sub-Saharan countries, the poverty rate was over 60%.
