A discussion response to this:

According to Seear & Ezezika (2017), approximately 15-20% of the global population suffer from a lack of access to basic essentials to live a dignified life. Despite this, in the last 30 years the global population living in extreme poverty has significantly decreased from 36% of the world surviving on just $1.90 a day in 1990 to now just 9.2% (Peer, 2020). The World Bank Group (2020) outlines that in 2018, more than 40% of those living in poverty around the globe live in areas where the economy is impacted by fragility, conflict, and violence. In a local context, Statistics Canada (2020) outlines that in 2018 11% of Canadians lived in poverty, which decreased from 11.7% in 2017.

Jindra & Vaz (2018) discuss that good governance is an essential aspect to reducing poverty on a global level as countries with good governance tend to develop faster and, in return, are able to utilize resources available to efficiently aid the vulnerable population. Global leaders have vowed to aim their focus on eradicating extreme poverty to the population worldwide by 2030 by utilizing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Peer, 2020). Seear & Ezezika (2017) state that poverty is a complex issue that is not simply caused by a lack of money, “its effects on morale and expectations, combined with exhaustion from overwork and poor nutrition, imprison people within an endless cycle of hopelessness” (p.110). Social determinants of health such as; education, employment, income, and health services play a vital role in extreme poverty. Providing accessible resources that aim to improve these factors is an essential aspect to reducing and facilitating an exit from extreme poverty (Page & Pande, 2018). Nurses can play a vital role in reducing poverty through health promotion and advocating for the vulnerable population within the community.