Poverty and deprivation are not only a problem of the developing countries, but also of industrial countries. The following points substantiate this statement:
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1. On the basis of an income poverty line of 50 per cent of the median personal disposable income, more than 100 million people are income-poor in OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) countries.
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2. At least 37 million people are without jobs in the industrial countries, often deprived of adequate income and left with a sense of social exclusion from not participating in the life of their communities.
3. Unemployment among youth (15-24 years) has reached staggering heights, with 32 per cent of young women and 22 per cent of young men in France unemployed, 39 per cent and 30 per cent in Italy and 49 per cent and 36 per cent in Spain.
4. About 8 per cent of the children in the developed-industrial countries, including half or more of children of single parents in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA, live the income poverty line of 50 per cent of median disposable personal income.
5. Nearly 200 million people are not expected to survive till age 60.
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6. More than 100 million are homeless, a shockingly high number amid the affluence.
7. Among 17 industrial countries, Sweden has the lowest incidence of human poverty, with 6.8 per cent, followed by the Netherlands and Germany. The countries with the most poverty are the USA, with 16.5 per cent, followed by Ireland and the UK at 15.2 per cent and 15 per cent, respectively.
8. The extent of human poverty has little to do with the average level of income. For example, the USA, with the highest per capita income measured in purchasing power parity (PPP) among the 17 countries, also has the highest human poverty.
9. All the 17 industrial countries have reached high levels of human development.
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10. The first and second ranking countries in respect of human development, viz., Canada and France with HDI value of more than 0.900, have significant problems of poverty, and their progress in human development has been poorly distributed. About 17 per cent of Canada’s people lack adequate literacy skills, more than twice the proportion in Sweden.
