Poverty

Until the Black Death, poor people living in poverty had been treated with some sympathy as it was felt they were a punishment for original sin and were therefore a necessary part of the world. However as a result of the economic hardships caused by the vicious plague the poor were viewed with a lot more scorn and were treated like robbers and vagabonds.

The world population living in extreme poverty was 94% of the world population in 1820,

A 1996 report by the World Bank revealed one-fifth of the world's population had to live on less than a dollar a day.

In 2005 291 million Africans-out of a total population of 703 million were surviving on less than $1 a day.

Africa is estimated to lose $2 billion a year as a result of trade barriers imposed by rich countries.

About 43.1 million Americans live in poverty according to the the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 estimates - eleven million more than in 2000.

Using the World Bank definition of $1.25/day, as of September 2013, roughly 1.3 billion people remain in extreme poverty (or roughly 1 in 6 people). Nearly half live in India and China, with more than 85% living in just 20 countries.

In 1990, 34.8% of the world's population lived in poverty. In 2015 it was just 9.6%.

The 100 richest people in the world earned enough money in 2012 to end global poverty four times.