Poverty refers to the condition of lacking basic human needs such as nutrition, clean water, healthcare, clothing, and shelter because of the inability to afford them. This is alternatively referred to using the terms absolute poverty or destitution. Relative poverty, in contrast, is the condition of having fewer resources or less income compared with others within a society or a country.

The United Nations Development Institute has reported that the world's richest 2 percent control more than half of all the wealth, whereas the poorest half possesses just 1 percent of the global wealth. Moreover, only a small number of developed countries account for most of the wealthiest 10 percent of the world, with just 11 countries contributing to over 90 percent of the wealthiest 1 ...

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