Andy Sumner, Institute of Development Studies

As for the remaining number of the world’s poor, Sumner says, “I think it’s important to emphasize that although three-quarters of the world’s poor now live in middle income countries, we shouldn’t forget that there’s still a quarter of the world’s poor in low income countries, largely in Africa. In those countries, it really is still questions about resources. It’s about capacities of governments to deliver those kind of things. So we shouldn’t forget that quarter’s still important.

MDGs

The Millennium Development Goals, which address such issues as poverty, health and education, have a due date of 2015. Sumner says knowing the economic health of the countries where poor people live could affect how the MDGs are reached.

“Shouldn’t we be tracking and looking and thinking much more about the poorest groups and how the MDGs are doing in those groups? Otherwise, we might end up with a situation in 2015 where the MDGs have helped the near poor, not the poorest people,” he says.

And it may be time for a different approach to aid, he says, for middle income countries.

“Thinking about climate change. Thinking about migration and trade policy. Maybe it’s not about money anymore in the middle income countries. And that’d be quite revolutionary for aid, I think.” he says.

A new look may also be needed for so-called fragile states.