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Over the past decades, the Asia-Pacific region has made considerable strides in social development. This surge in the standards of living has translated into an increasing proportion of the population escaping poverty and moving to higher incomes within their country’s income distribution, thus expanding the middle class. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is, however, threatening to reverse these hard-won gains by pushing millions of people back into poverty. The severity of the pandemic depends to a large extent on the economic development and the success of national social protection systems to curb these potential losses. 

Over the past decades, the Asia-Pacific region has made considerable strides in social development. This surge in the standards of living has translated into an increasing proportion of the population escaping poverty and moving to higher incomes within their country’s income distribution, thus expanding the middle class. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is, however, threatening to reverse these hard-won gains by pushing millions of people back into poverty. The severity of the pandemic depends to a large extent on the economic development and the success of national social protection systems to curb these potential losses. 

Contact
Social Development Division +66 2288 1234 [email protected]