India is a big country situated in the south of Asia. It borders on the countries of China, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The number of over 1.3 billion people speaking numerous languages, with Hindi and English being the most common ones is its population. Indian culture is very multifaceted, influencing Eastern religions like Hinduism, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and others. Economically, India has become one of the leading global players, though it suffers from rampant poverty, inequality, and infrastructure deficiency apart from prosperous cities (Katayama & Wadhwa, 2019). Politically, India is the largest democracy in the world, having a federal, parliamentary system.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is a large and diverse central African country with a sweeping land surface of 2,340,000 km2. It is 11th in the world and the second largest in Africa. This country’s coastline to the Atlantic Ocean is only about 37 km, but the rest is landlocked. It possesses vast natural resources but has suffered from regional conflicts, corruption, and poor infrastructural development. The main languages spoken are French, Lingala, Kikongo, and Tshiluba. The culture is a mix of 200+ ethnicities. The country of DRC is famous for its art. Economically, it is one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries (Katayama & Wadhwa, 2019). As for the political aspect, it has slowly moved to become a semi-presidential republic and is fighting the challenges of instability and violence, particularly in the eastern regions.
Indian and DRC poverty incidences have caused or been caused by this problem. The relationship to poverty in these countries exists. Last year’s pandemic, which began at the end of 2019, brought worse poverty and vulnerability in both countries, influencing livelihoods, health and education systems, and social assistance (Katayama & Wadhwa, 2019). According to the World Bank’s estimate, 88-115 million people may be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020, meaning that India and, more specifically, the Republic of the Congo will be the countries with the highest poverty rates (Omar & Inaba, 2020). The civil wars in the DRC in 1996-2003 and 2004-2010 have resulted in millions of deaths, IDPs, countless human rights violations, and destroyed infrastructure that prevents economic and human development. Around 3/4 of the Congolese population now survives on a daily income of 1.90 US dollars (United Nations, 2023). India’s demonetization policy of 2016 was meant to curb corruption. However, it resulted in liquidity shortage and inflexibility, disrupted the informal sector with about 80% of workers, and caused a reduction in consumption and income, which can increase the poverty rate by a percentage point in the short run.
Various policies in India and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have deliberately aimed to alleviate poverty. Created in 2005 by India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act provides rural household members with 100 days of unskilled paid work annually. This measure aims to provide them with income security and an opportunity to create productive assets that benefit the country’s rural poor (Omar & Inaba, 2020). The DRC’s program, which was started in 2018 with World Bank support, is working to bring about productivity improvement, market access, and resilience for 1.5 million smallholder farmer households that will be achieved through better technologies, infrastructure, and services as well as institutional capacity. India’s National Food Security Act of 2013 provides subsidized food grain to about 800 million people, mainly people experiencing poverty under the Public Distribution System (PDS), pregnant/lactating mothers, and children to ensure food security and cover hunger and malnutrition to protect the right to food. Social protection policies, agricultural development, and food security target poverty in its multisided forms through targeted approaches.
Socio-cultural aspects and structures like the caste system, gender disparity, and informal sector in India maintain poverty by exploiting and protecting discriminatory actions, access to resources and opportunities, and exposing marginalized groups to exploitation and insecurity. In the DRC, conflict, violence, corruption, poor governance, and insecure tenure affect land and worsen poverty (Omar & Inaba, 2020). Cumulative war years have caused lots of people suffering, dislocation, and property damage. Corruption destroys security and service agencies. Unequal land access and tenure lead to the loss of livelihood for poor people living in rural areas relying on natural resources. Achieving success in both contexts is tied to overcoming the underlying causes of chronic poverty by combating entrenched social norms, power imbalances, weak governance, and land rights issues.
| Country | Poverty rate | Rural-Urban Gap | Malnutrition | Economic Factors | Governance | Basic Services |
| India | 23% of the population lives below the national poverty line | the more significant percentage, 70% or more, is regularly seen among rural poor living below $1.90/day. | 35.5% of the children under five are stunted owing to malnutrition, and around the same rate of wasting in children | Inequality, joblessness, and unequal economic growth | Democratic system but struggles with inefficient bureaucracy and corruption | Many of the rural and urban poor lack access to adequate sanitation, clean water, healthcare, and education |
| Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) | 73% of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day | Poverty is pervasive across both rural and urban areas | 43% of children under five are stunted, one of the highest rates globally, and low wasting of 19.3% of the children | Conflict, corruption, lack of infrastructure, dependence on extractives | unstable, violent, poor, and corrupt | Minimal access to essential services like clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and education across the entire country |
Poverty is a real problem that affects the whole world; borders do not stop this scourge. India and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s endemic poverty, which adds to global vulnerability, is significantly disturbing. The internal crisis created by the lack of opportunities and complaints overflowed the region’s crisis and insecurity (Omar & Inaba, 2020). The impact of climate change on a global scale is worsened through environmental deterioration due to excessive resource consumption. Massive migrant movements wrought by the collapsing economies of origin overburden the social systems in the home country and the destination (United Nations, 2023). Poverty also brings the population to the edge of pandemics that are very fast spreading in this globalized world.
A global mindset recognizes that poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere. We must see eradicating extreme poverty as a shared responsibility and moral imperative. This requires a renewed commitment to effective foreign aid, debt relief, fair trade policies, technology transfer, and investment in human capital through health and education (Lakner et al., 2022). It necessitates strengthening governance, transparency, and anti-corruption efforts. Fundamentally, global institutions and cooperation must shift to an approach centered on prioritizing human security – ensuring all people can meet their basic needs with dignity. Only by adopting a mindset of being globally united in overcoming poverty’s root causes can we hope to build a more equitable, sustainable, and secure world for all.
As global citizens, we are responsible for taking concrete actions to address the pervasive issue of poverty. We should educate ourselves and others using reliable sources to understand poverty’s root causes and efficacious solutions. We must advocate for policies and support programs that create decent work opportunities, strengthen social protections, expand public services, and foster inclusive economic growth benefitting low-income people (Lakner et al., 2022). Donating to and volunteering for organizations rigorously evaluated as effectively combating poverty, hunger, poor health, and lack of education can make a tangible difference. Practicing ethical consumption by choosing fair trade, eco-friendly products, and services that respect worker rights and reduce our environmental footprint helps preserve the natural resources people experiencing poverty depend on (United Nations, 2023). We demonstrate global solidarity by embracing sustainable lifestyles, supporting good governance, and demanding accountability. Collectively, these actions allow us to uphold our shared moral imperative to prioritize human security and dignity by eradicating extreme poverty everywhere.
Katayama, R., & Wadhwa, D. (2019, January 16). Half of the world’s poor live in just five countries. The Data Blog. https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/half-world-s-poor-live-just-5-countries
Lakner, C., Mahler, D. G., Negre, M., & Prydz, E. B. (2022). How much does reducing inequality matter for global poverty? The Journal of Economic Inequality, 20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10888-021-09510-w
Omar, M. A., & Inaba, K. (2020). Does financial inclusion reduce poverty and income inequality in developing countries? A panel data analysis. Journal of Economic Structures, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40008-020-00214-4
United Nations. (2023). Poverty | UN Global Compact. Unglobalcompact.org. https://unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/our-work/social/poverty