Extreme Poverty in Sudan: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Data is often viewed as a collection of abstractions, but these figures measure the threshold of survival for families across three centuries. To live below the international extreme poverty line of .15/day, 2017 PPP, is to navigate the most basic constraints of existence. These percentages are not merely fluctuations in a global index; they represent the daily reality of millions. Behind every data point lies a lived experience defined by the struggle for essential needs and the persistent weight of material scarcity.

The historical arc reveals a long period of consistency followed by a slow, measured descent. Throughout the 1800s, extreme poverty remained at 80 %. This plateau persisted into the 1900s, when it was 80 %. A gradual decline followed, reaching 68.33 % by the 1960s and 55 % by the 1980s. In the 2020s, extreme poverty in Sudan stands at 35 % — ranking #151 of 157 countries. This trajectory traces a steady movement away from a century of stagnation toward a new economic horizon.

For a child born today, the likelihood of living beneath the extreme poverty line is significantly lower than for those born in previous centuries. Projections suggest this trend will persist, falling to 26.25 % in the 2030s and 4.67 % in the 2090s, eventually reaching 3.5 % by the 2100s. These figures serve as a map of changing conditions of human life, illustrating a future where the constraints of extreme poverty are dramatically diminished compared to the ancestral past.

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