Extreme poverty has been a hot-button issue for ages. Many of us expected the 21st century to become the era when the problem of drastic income inequality would be resolved. But the COVID-19 pandemic threw these initiatives back. Poverty has become as widespread as a hundred years before. Will we ever make the Earth a prosperous place for all?
This article features 230 poverty essay topics. They tackle every social, economic, psychological, and political aspect of this controversial issue. For your convenience, we grouped them according to the paper genre. Discrimination and limited access to education, malnutrition, health problems, mental disorders, and hunger are only some of the spheres you can debate.
Table of Contents
🔝 Top 15 Poverty Essay Topics
- Ending poverty in all its forms around the globe is our goal No.1.
- What does it mean to be poor?
- The pandemic can teach us a new lesson in fighting poverty worldwide.
- Child poverty essay: Lifelong ramifications.
- How does poverty measurement impact public opinion?
- Why does Africa remain to be the least developed country?
- Do we oversimplify when dividing people into wealthy and poor?
- Why should economics study the phenomenon of poverty?
- Poverty in America: An essay on its dynamics.
- How is deprivation linked to crime levels?
- Does overpopulation cause poverty?
- It is a myth that wealthy people are often obese.
- Fighting poverty is what all of us do throughout our lives.
- Can free education for all be a measure to eliminate poverty?
- Globalization will end poverty in developing countries.
📝 Topics & Issues to Cover in a Paper
Some poverty essay topics are too broad to prepare compelling argumentation. We have explored these directions to guide your research.
Defining Poverty
When the financial resources in a community are lacking, the basic needs of some people are not met. These circumstances do not allow poor people to enjoy an acceptable standard of life. They may not have a roof above their heads or may not be able to afford clothes and food. But the lack of income also causes many psychological and sociological consequences. Children of the poor have a higher probability of physical and mental health issues than their peers. They are also more likely to abuse substances and have problems with the law.
Measuring Poverty
The US Bureau of Census is responsible for calculating poverty rates in the US. They usually exclude anyone living in a mental health facility, prison, military quarters, and school dormitories. They do not count children under 15 years, either.
The World Bank established a new goal to eliminate extreme poverty in one generation starting in 2013. By 2030, They planned to decrease the number of the world’s population who live on $1.90 per day down to 3%. Measuring poverty shows which strategies work and which should be put aside. It also guides emerging countries in their development strategies to adapt to the rapidly changing world economy.
Poverty Facts & Statistics
- In 2018, four out of five individuals below the poverty line resided in rural areas.
- In 2020, extreme poverty rates rose for the first time over the last two decades. It happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, military conflicts, and climate change.
- 97 million people crossed the poverty line because of the pandemic.
- Children make up 50% of the poor global population.
- 70% of the global poor above 15 have no or only primary school education.
- More than 40 % of the poor live in countries affected by conflict and violence. Over the next decade, the number is predicted to peak at 67%. Meanwhile, only 10% of the world’s population lives in such countries.
What Can Be Done About Poverty?
- At the moment, money is the best measure to reduce poverty. Investing in the markets of emerging countries could spur their economic growth. However, investors are often unwilling to do so, as these nations often struggle to sustain economic growth.
- The second way of problem-solving is education. It gives safety and support to children from low-income families (as they often suffer from domestic violence or sexual abuse). It also increases their future employment opportunities. But most importantly, it creates a culture of learning in families, and the next generations will benefit from it.
🪙 Research Topics on Poverty
- The origin of poverty and the divergence of concepts depending on the context.
- Comparison of poverty concepts by UN, the World Bank and the EU.
- The difference between the definition of poverty in the EU and other world organizations.
- The difference between the UN definition of poverty and other world organizations.
- The World Bank’s definition of poverty differs from other world organizations.
- Aspects affecting the measurement of poverty.
- How Poverty Changes.
- When poverty is recognized as global?
- General level of development of the state affects the spread of poverty.
- Is poverty just an economic factor?
- When is a person recognized as poor determined?
- Poverty at the individual, local, national and global levels.
- Poverty hinders cognitive function.
- Poor people are often more susceptible to severe illness.
- Economic stability is paramount for a poor household.
- The rising cost of living makes poor people less able to afford things.
- Rising costs can push into poverty and others into poverty.
- Stress factors caused by poverty.
- Children living in poverty have lower cognitive thinking.
- Education in the US educational system is focused on students from more affluent families.
- Conditions in schools in poor areas prevent children from learning in a safe environment.
- High crime rate among children with low resources.
- Children from low-income families have higher rates of teenage pregnancy.
- Relationship of gender to poverty or location.
- In poorer countries, girls have lower completion rates.
- Most often, children end up in orphanages because of family poverty.
- Cultural factors can negatively affect productivity and perpetuate poverty in a state.
- Women are the group suffering from the highest levels of poverty after children.
- People living in poverty have an increased chance of getting a disability.
- Many women become victims of human trafficking.
- The most common form of survival is prostitution due to economic desperation.
- As poverty decreases, fewer incidents of violence will occur.
- Poverty Reduction Strategies.
- The improvement of cities and states can affect the reduction of the level of poverty of the population.
- Access to basic human needs is a way to fight poverty.
- Effect of deworming children on improving education among poor children.
- The fight against corruption is the same as the fight against poverty.
- Debt relief for countries can reduce countries poverty levels.
- Emigration from developing countries perpetuates poverty in them.
- Access to contraceptives directly impacts the poverty of the population and the country’s economy.
- Basic income is more effective in fighting poverty than the minimum wage and unemployment benefits.
- Reducing bureaucracy and increasing economic freedom would significantly reduce poverty.
- Greater access to markets brings more income to the poor.
- Road infrastructure directly affects poverty.
- Poverty causes environmental degradation.
- Climate change can hinder poverty reduction.
- Is spirituality the engine of poverty?
- Voluntary poverty.
- Climate change and poverty.
- Increased mortality due to poverty.
- The socio-economic gap between the poor and the rich.
- Is poverty linked to nationality?
- Religion and poverty.
- The influence of geographical location on the spread of poverty.
- Anti-poverty organizations and their strategies.
- Long-term consequences of poverty.
- Discrimination against the poor.
- Short-term and long-term strategies in the fight against poverty.
- Is it possible to get out of poverty, and what affects it?
- Your actions against poverty.
- Maintenance by the state of an adequate standard of living.
- The emergence of poverty as a social phenomenon.
- Is globalization exacerbating poverty?
- Social isolation of the population.
- Is poverty a choice?
- Health care for the poor.
- Human rights against poverty.
- Global poverty.
- Does moral poverty exist?
- Children’s perception of poverty.
- Poverty makes children grow up earlier.
- Digitalization help fight poverty.
- Does migration perpetuate poverty or fight it?
- Poor women are expected to marry early.
- Family planning prevents the spread of poverty.
- Development of poverty.
- Your understanding of poverty.
- Are there countries where there is no poverty?
- Political programs to combat poverty.
- What factors can exacerbate poverty problems?
- Poverty as a result of a natural disaster.
- Sustainable Development Goals: “No Poverty”.
- Dynamics of poverty levels.
- Are the poor themselves to blame for poverty?
- Ideological representations of poverty.
- Poverty is a result of discrimination.
- Do shelters for the poor help in the fight against poverty?
- Does a non-working family equal a poor family?
- Impact of the pandemic on the spread of poverty.
- Lack of medical care for the poor.
🗣️ Argumentative Essay Topics on Poverty
- Differences in prices between countries to adjust for purchasing power.
- What is extreme poverty?
- Measuring poverty: the monetary value of human consumption.
- The difficulty of measuring global poverty: difference between countries.
- International poverty line.
- Is poverty linked only to wealth?
- Industrialization and the fight against poverty: victory or even greater gap.
- Population growth leads to more poor people in the world.
- Growth of the global middle class and reduction of extreme poverty.
- Poverty forecast in 2030.
- Extreme poverty cannot be ended.
- The concentration of poverty in Africa.
- Countries that have reduced poverty: India, China, Ethiopia, Ghana.
- A growing global middle class and the stagnation of the world’s poorest people.
- Has modernity not reached the poor countries?
- The expansion of social protection policy helps to get rid of extreme poverty.
- Progress in the fight against all poverty lines.
- Importance of poverty reduction in developed countries.
- The demographic factor in the spread of poverty.
- Adjusting to Rising Costs of Living: Increasing or Reducing Poverty?
- Change in the international poverty line over time.
- Is it possible to eradicate extreme poverty?
- Multidimensional poverty: the diverse nature of poverty.
- Africa is the continent with the poorest people.
- Are there no poor people in rich countries?
➡️ Cause & Effect Essay Topics on Poverty
- The economic crisis in a country leads to an increase in poverty.
- Consequences of hunger for children and youth.
- The poverty of children is only the concern of parents.
- Most of the poor are from incomplete families.
- Historical barriers in the fight against poverty.
- Racial and ethnic gaps in poverty rates.
- Physical and mental well-being of poor children.
- Access to health care for poor families.
- Inadequate education exacerbates the vicious cycle of poverty.
- Children living in poverty are at greater risk for behavioral and emotional problems.
- Poverty breeds violent behavior in children.
- Poverty contributes to the spread of hard-to-treat diseases.
- Mortality of children in poor families.
- Protecting children from poor families.
- The prevalence of poverty among children in developed countries.
- Depression and poverty: children suffer from mental illnesses like adults.
- Family conflict as a cause of child homelessness.
- Homelessness harms children who are more prone to mental and physical illness.
- How does the labor market affect child poverty?
- Early pregnancy can lead to homelessness.
- Discrimination against LGBT people increases the level of homelessness among young people.
- Poverty contributes to the spread of STIs.
- Violent crime among the poor.
- Are violence and poverty inseparable?
- Substance abuse among children from poor families.
💡 Poverty Solutions Essay Topics
- What are the poverty solutions to stop hunger in the US?
- Reducing poverty through education – the US providing global solutions for emerging nations.
- How education helps break the cycle of poverty – evidence from the US communities.
- Providing water for communities overarched by bottled water producers – how does this help reduce poverty?
- Water resources and poverty among Native Americans – determining points of intersection.
- Clean water as a source of health and prosperity – how to preserve the national water resources of the United States?
- Basic health care – how free services affect global poverty.
- Why should basic medical care become a human right to overcome poverty?
- How do health insurance programs reduce poverty in the United States?
- Weaknesses in US health insurance programs: solutions for poverty alleviation.
- Empowering women to stop the poverty loops – solutions through micro-financing.
- Empowering women to reduce poverty – solutions for communities in the US.
- Global poverty and women’s power: three stories of entrepreneurship.
- How hunger and poverty affect the mental development of children – the need for immediate global solutions.
- Ensuring adequate nutrition for children and mothers to end poverty – lessons from Hawaii and Haiti.
- How can the American economy overcome poverty and hunger through macroeconomic solutions?
- The activities of international environmental organizations that led to poverty alleviation: the brightest victories.
- Fighting global warming to end poverty – how does planting trees improve living standards?
- Green energy and poverty alleviation – US macroeconomic solutions.
- Combating cycles of violence to overcome poverty – the US experience.
- Domestic violence as a factor in the growth of populations’ poverty.
- Violence against women – hotlines and other ways to help break cycles of poverty.
- Economic methods of overcoming poverty – international experience.
- Business and CSR practices as a means of influence in societies with low standards of living.
- Federal financing to reduce poverty – why is this a bad solution?
🧸 Child Poverty Essay Topics
- Overcoming child homelessness as a way to end child poverty.
- Protecting orphans and securing their future through free education programs.
- Adoption programs as a way to combat child poverty among orphans.
- Work with refugees and assessment of child poverty in Europe and the US.
- Migrant children and stigmatization – how social institutions can avoid offensive meanings.
- Migration and the provision of education services – challenges related to overcoming child poverty.
- The health sector and overcoming child poverty: five important practices.
- Child nutrition in schools to overcome child poverty – stability and ways of implementing support programs.
- Child marriage and child poverty – how the mother’s age affects the well-being of children.
- Provision of education services for women as a way to overcome child poverty.
- Should free medicine for children become a right, not a privilege?
- How does the civilized world fight against child poverty that results from environmental disasters?
- Overcoming the consequences of global warming – programs of child poverty elimination.
- Overcoming child poverty with the involvement of parents – what programs exist in the US?
- Child support grants: three ways to overcome mistrust.
- Why does child poverty reduce the civilizational development of society?
- What are the five main consequences of child poverty?
- How does child poverty affect the economic development of countries?
- What is child poverty: studying the main determinants.
- Child poverty among the better-off sections of the US society – how do misleading concepts lead to social problems?
- Education of civilizational, moral, and cultural values to overcome child poverty – three ways of development.
- The ethical side of the issue of child poverty – why is society obliged to help?
- How preservation of cultural values leads to child poverty – lessons from national minorities.
- Why state control over culture and consciousness can lead to child poverty – the examples of the People’s Republic of China and North Korea.
- Propaganda as a way to reduce child poverty – the effectiveness of the approach.
🌎 Poverty in America Essay Topics
- Poverty and national minorities – statistics and future trends.
- Overcoming poverty through healthcare services: interaction with vulnerable groups.
- Poverty and homelessness as consequences of unsuccessful political vectors – the American experience.
- Unemployment and poverty among non-citizens – ways to overcome the crisis.
- How has the pandemic deepened the crisis of poverty and unemployment in the US?
- Poverty and professions with the least demand on the labor market in the US: gaps and new opportunities.
- Democrats and Republicans – differences in approaches to overcoming poverty.
- Five successful democratic (republican) initiatives to overcome poverty.
- Conservatives in power and overcoming poverty – successes and failures.
- The top three policies of Donald Trump that led to the deepening of the poverty crisis in the US.
- Overcoming poverty in the US – the story of three presidencies (to choose from).
- Geographical prerequisites of regional poverty in the US – historical experience.
- Poverty crisis in the post-lockdown period – new ways of social development.
- Regional poverty in the US – solutions for selected regions.
- Is there a link between defense capability and poverty in the US?
- How science can help overcome poverty – the experience of American farmers in the mid-20th century.
- How big business harms the economy – the top 3 negative consequences of the work of unconscious producers that deepen the poverty crisis.
- How unconscious consumption of Chinese goods harms the US economy and deepens the poverty crisis.
- How can the United States overcome the unemployment crisis by stimulating small and medium-sized businesses?
- What inhumane manufacturing practices of the mid-to-late 19th century continue to exacerbate the poverty crisis in the United States?
- How are new technologies deepening the crisis of poverty and unemployment in the US?
- Why does the consumer society accelerate the decline of the economy and lead to poverty in the US?
- How can social science education programs help address the poverty crisis in the US?
- Three bright health care initiatives that help fight poverty in the US.
- Social determinants of poverty – how does the individual’s environment add to the creation of the poverty loop?