@hattiehughs14 asks, "What is the leading cause of extreme poverty?"
There are a lot of factors that go into creating these extreme poverty conditions. The first reason that would likely be deemed as the leading cause would be a lack of income or some type of economic issue. Obviously, not having or making enough income to live comfortably is a large issue and would contribute a fair amount to extreme poverty. A large number of jobs within the United States pay a decent amount but still fall short of the federal poverty guidelines. Extreme poverty is living daily with $1.90 per person.
Another factor that should be considered as contributing is a lack of good education. Basic skills learned in primary education are often lost in impoverished communities, such as reading and writing. In order to get a job, these skills are essential. It is hard enough to get a well-paying job without a high school diploma. And, within these communities, there is often a cycle of not having an education that can be extremely difficult to break.
War and political/government crises also contribute a great deal to extreme poverty. In many cases, war-torn areas are devastated by bombing and the shutting down of local economies. This gives an uncontrollable effect of extreme poverty because many people lose all of their belongings, and local businesses shut down. It is a domino effect and it is extremely difficult to come back after this destruction in a timely manner.
Some other factors include climate change, social injustices, lack of clean water and food supply, lack of government support, overall high costs, etc. Climate change is projected to put a large sum of people out of jobs in the next decade because of droughts, floods, devastating storms, etc. These natural phenomena are unavoidable and can take out an entire community.
