poverty

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Condition in which the basic needs of human beings (shelter, food, and clothing) are not being met. Over one-fifth of the world's population was living in extreme poverty in 1995, of which around 70% were women. Nearly 13.5 million children under five die each year from poverty-related illness (measles, diarrhoea, malaria, pneumonia, and malnutrition). In its annual report, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that 600 million children continue to live in poverty. There are different definitions of the standard of living considered to be the minimum adequate level (known as the poverty level). The European Union (EU) definition of poverty is an income of less than half the EU average (£150 a week in 1993). By this definition, there were 50 million poor in the EU in 1993.

Absolute and relative poverty
Absolute poverty, where people lack the necessary food, clothing, or shelter to survive, can be distinguished from relative poverty, which has been defined as the inability of a citizen to participate fully in economic terms in the society in which he or she lives. In many countries, absolute poverty is common and persistent, being reflected in poor nutrition, short life expectancy, and high levels of infant mortality. It may result from a country's complete lack of resources, or from unequal distribution of wealth.

Inequality on the increase
During the 1980s, the world's poorest 20% of people saw their share of global income reduced from 1.7% to 1.4%. In 1994, at least 1.1 billion people were subsisting on a cash income of less than $1 a day. Their total assets came to no more than $400 billion, compared with the $200 billion assets of the world's 160 billionaires.

Initially the sun and moon had human faces, but they were removed when the flag was updated in 1962. The flag is said to express the hope that Nepal will endure as long as the sun and the moon. The blue border symbolizes peace. Effective date: 16 December 1962. >>