Sure, the poverty line is <i>somewhat</i> arbitrary. Poverty and general well-being are multi-dimensional concepts that are hard to reduce to a single number.<p>I think you&#x27;re being a bit pedantic, though. The absolute number of those living in poverty can change with the stroke of a pen according to an arbitrary definition, sure. My interpretation is that the point of the article, and the thing that should be celebrated, is that life is <i>on average getting better</i> for the world community (even if only according to one metric).<p>I&#x27;m sure the data scientist in all of us wants to see &quot;well-being&quot; broken down by vertical. For one, I&#x27;m sure the data you&#x27;re looking for exists, is likely accessible, and it would be intellectually satisfying to our curiosity (who wants to do the legwork? :)). Two, I&#x27;d be skeptical of the assumption that they&#x27;d show anything but a trend in the same direction (though maybe not all at the same rate).