According to a research from the Asian Development Bank, the COVID-19 epidemic has delayed the struggle against poverty in Asia and the Pacific by at least two years, and many people in the area will certainly find it more difficult than previously to overcome poverty (ADB).

According to Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2022, the region’s economic development this year is anticipated to lower severe poverty—defined as surviving on less than $1.90 a day—to a level that would have been attained in 2020 had the pandemic not occurred. Data models also indicate that those in the area who had lower pre-pandemic levels of social mobility—the capacity to rise beyond poverty—might suffer more significant setbacks over time.

A long-term trend of Asian and global poverty reduction was halted by the COVID-19 crisis.