A study by the Pew Research Center estimates that the number of people living in poverty worldwide in 2020 increased by 130 million compared to the pre-pandemic estimate, while the number of people in the middle class was 34 million lower than the projection made before the onset of COVID-19. The regions most affected by the rise in the number of people living in poverty are South Asia—especially India—and sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, the regions hardest hit by the decline in the middle class were South and East Asia and the Pacific. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the study estimates an increase of 5 million people in the number of people living in poverty, a decrease of 8 million people in the middle class, and a decrease of 5 million people in the high-income segment.

Source: Pew Research Center