“One of the most inspirational thinkers and undoubtedly one of the most prominent historical figures, Mahatma Gandhi, equated poverty with the most severe form of violence. There is no denying that poverty undermines human opportunities to develop their full potential. Personally, I think it’s a form of human rights abuse. While there is an ongoing theoretical debate as to whether economic, social and cultural rights fit into the prism of human rights, there is no questioning that right to health, housing, education, and an adequate standard of living are of paramount importance to human life. Unfortunately, we all know too well that while everyone is entitled to these rights, as proclaimed by numerous international human rights treaties and conventions, not everyone realizes them. In this article, we are focusing on countries with the highest poverty rates in 2017, where the conditions for the full realization of economic, social and cultural rights are pretty much nonexistent.”

The above excerpt is from Insider Monkey’s article on 31 countries with the highest poverty rates in the world in 2017. In the article, the author makes a juxtaposition between the poorest countries in the world and countries which are considered to be the richest, healthiest and most advanced. The two are standing on the opposite sides of a spectrum. While most of the people living in Western world take things like clean water, proper housing and quality education for granted, for others these are luxury, something they daydream about. This contrast presents a grim reality of the world we are a part of. Everyday issues of those living in 3rd world countries are beyond understanding for those living in 1st world countries, and vice versa. Most of the countries which have made it to the list of the poorest in the world in 2017 are located in Africa and South America. Unfortunately, something most of us could expect. To see which countries found their place on the list and in what order, check out the article.