Almost no poor countries by 2035: Bill Gates
Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist, Bill Gates believes that by 2035 there will be almost no poor countries left in the world.
In their foundation’s annual letter, Bill and Melinda Gates aim to debunk three myths that block progress for the poor.
In the letter, Gates outlines that there is a widely accepted belief that poor countries – particularly African ones – are doomed to stay poor, as wealthier countries continue to swim in wealth.
Countering the myth, Gates outlined statistical evidence pointing out how previously impoverished nations of the “developing world” (a term Gates says is out-dated), have turned into vibrant and sustainable economies.
Example nations used were Mexico, Kenya, Shanghai, Turkey and Chile.
“The easiest way to respond to the myth that poor countries are doomed to stay poor is to point to one fact: They haven’t stayed poor,” Gates said.
“Many — though by no means all — of the countries we used to call poor now have thriving economies. And the percentage of very poor people has dropped by more than half since 1990.”
According to Gates, the landscape of poverty across the globe has shifted so much, that he is confident to predict that, by 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world.
“Specifically, I mean that by 2035, almost no country will be as poor as any of the 35 countries that the World Bank classifies as low-income today, even after adjusting for inflation,” he noted.
Gates acknowledged that some countriews would still be held back by political issues, war and geographical landscapes – namely, North Korea and Central African Republic – and inequality will still be a problem, with poor people still existing in every region.
“But most of them will live in countries that are self-sufficient,” Gates said.
“In the next two decades, desperately poor countries will become the exception rather than the rule. Billions of people will have been lifted out of extreme poverty. The idea that this will happen within my lifetime is simply amazing to me.”
Further in his letter, Gates debunks the myths that financial aid is wasted and leads to financial dependency, as well as the myth that saving lives would lead to over-population.
Gates is one of the richest people in the world with a personal net worth of $72 billion, according to Forbes, and with his wife Melinda has forged one of the largest charity institutions in world.
The couple are listed as the biggest donation givers in the world, having dished out $1.9 billion in 2012 (2.3% of their wealth), with a total lifetime total at $28 billion.
The tech pioneer’s foundation has taken on the battle to eliminate polio and malaria, while donating to organizations such as the World Health Organisation and Medicines for Malaria.
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