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there is not one cause for poverty in today's world, but multiple factors that contribute. poverty and its circumstances are different for every country, but some basic and common causes are described below:
debt
In the 1970's, a leap in oil prices caused developing countries to start borrowing significant amounts of money in order to continue their economic growth. Money was loaned to the countries without question of repayment. Unfortunately, too much of the money was spent on inefficient projects. 30 years later, these countries, especially ones in Africa, still owe a lot of money to developed countries. Instead of creating health care for its citizens, these countries spend most of their income on debt repayment.
Debt Stats:
*In Zambia, the government spends four times more on debt then on education
*In Nicaragua every person in the country owes in debt to the rich world (more than twice the average annual income)
*Heavily indebted poor countries owe a total of .8 billion to the U.S., which is equal to the cost of three stealth bombers (the U.S. has 21)
*For every $1 million sub-Saharan Africa diverts from heath and education to pay debt service, 24 extra women die in childbirth and 159 extra infants will die before age 1
Third-world countries, like the U.S. do not need this money as much as they do, by any means. Helping to end poverty by putting developing countries on easeier-to-follow debt repayment plans and forgiving debts is an easy solution to help conquer poverty.
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power inequalities
Rapid population growth is not a cause of hunger. It results from inequities that deprive people, especially poor women, of economic opportunity and security. The lives of poor women must improve before they choose to have fewer children.
Hunger is a political question: Hungry people lack the power to end their hunger.
Most of the poor of the world lack the opportunity to climb out of poverty because of lack of capital and ways to make money. Even when the empovershed gain capital and create technology (a water well, for example) that will give them opportunity to rise above their economic state, often times more powerful people will take control of it.
In many developing countries, women have many fewer rights than men, are much less, (if at all) educated, are subjected to the authority of their husbands, and cannot often find work. They are last to recieve food and health care, and there are 100 million less women in developing countries than would be expected, due to the extremely high mortality rates of women.
Power inequality stats:
*For every $1 million sub-Saharan Africa diverts from heath and education to pay debt service, 24 extra women die in childbirth and 159 extra infants will die before age 1
*10% of the people own 90% of the land in the Philippines, allowing for very little economic opportunity
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