This is an issue where there is widespread misunderstanding.  Here is a great opinion piece about how the way news is reported contributes to this chronic misinformation:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;01&#x2F;opinion&#x2F;nicholas-kristof-the-most-important-thing-and-its-almost-a-secret.html" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;10&#x2F;01&#x2F;opinion&#x2F;nicholas-kristof-t...</a><p>&quot;One survey found that two-thirds of Americans believed that the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty has almost doubled over the last 20 years. Another 29 percent believed that the proportion had remained roughly the same.<p>&quot;That’s 95 percent of Americans — who are utterly wrong. In fact, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty hasn’t doubled or remained the same. It has fallen by more than half...&quot;