poverty

Another generation of girls in South Sudan will miss out on an education, face huge health risks in childbirth and are more likely to face sexual and domestic violence, if efforts to end child marriage are not stepped up.

New Oxfam research shows that four pharmaceutical corporations – Abbott, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co (MSD), and Pfizer – systematically hide their profits in overseas tax havens. This activity could deprive developing countries of more than $100 million every year – money that is urgently needed to meet the health needs of people in these countries.

The slight decrease in development aid spending in 2017 is bad news for the fight to end poverty and reduce inequalities, said Oxfam today in response to the publication of new aid figures by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Eighty two percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth, according to a new Oxfam report released today.

Dangerous, poorly paid work for the many is supporting extreme wealth for the few. Women are in the worst work, and almost all the super-rich are men. Governments must create a more equal society by prioritizing ordinary workers and small-scale food producers instead of the rich and powerful.

Lan, 32, works in a factory in southern Vietnam, which produces shoes for global fashion brands. She works six days a week for at least nine hours a day, earning around $1 per hour. Read her story and stand with her in the fight against inequality.

Despite an impressive economic growth since 2005, poverty still affects millions of people’s lives in Kenya. But extreme inequality is not inevitable, it is a matter of political choice. The Kenyan government can reduce it to sustainable levels and ensure a more equal and prosperous future for all Kenyans.

The EU has decided its budget for 2018 with cuts long-term development aid that helps the poorest people. A coalition of development NGOs criticised the EU for putting its own short-term interests ahead of the people most in need.

Women farmers play a central role in small-scale agriculture. But they are held back by barriers that prevent them from feeding their families and reinvesting in their livelihoods. A real support would protect their rights, boost their productivity and unleash their potential to fight hunger, poverty and climate change.

Despite being one of largest economies, Brazil is listed as one of the most unequal countries in the world. Although it has left millions of people out of poverty over the last decades, it still faces a huge gap between the country’s richest and the rest of the population. Learn more and support Oxfam's work on inequality.