Global poverty had been declining before COVID-19, but in 2020 and due to the pandemic, the absolute number of people living in extreme poverty rose for the first time since 1997. The face of global poverty is also changing. Poverty is becoming increasingly concentrated in countries that are middle-income, fragile and conflict affected, and located in sub-Saharan Africa. War and conflict, climate change, degradation of the environment and pandemics have consequences that extend far beyond national and regional borders and influence global migration patterns.