The world population living in extreme poverty, which had been increasing since 1820 in absolute terms (not percentage), began to decline in 1970, even as the total world population continued to grow, and by a significant amount. The world population in extreme poverty, after peaking at 2 billion people in 1970, has declined almost steadily, reaching 705 million in 2015. Over the same period, the total world population will increase from 4 billion to 8 billion. There are fewer people in extreme poverty in the world in 2015 than in 1800, when the world population was vastly smaller. In percentage terms, in the different regions of the world, the share of the population in extreme poverty in 2015 is: 40% in Sub-Saharan Africa (it was 60% in 1990), 20% in South Asia (it was 50% in 1990), less than 8% in the rest of the world (for example in East Asia and the Pacific, it was 60% in 1990!).
