COVID-19 can push 60 million people into extreme poverty: World Bank

The head of the World Bank on Tuesday cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to push up to 60 million people into extreme poverty (under 1.90 U.S. dollars per day), wiping out the gains made over the recent years.

"The pandemic and shutdown of advanced economies could push as many as 60 million people into extreme poverty, erasing much of the recent progress made in poverty alleviation," said World Bank Group President David Malpass. 

Malpass said the World Bank is financing aid programs in 100 developing countries, home to 70 percent of the world's population, under the body's commitment to spend 160 billion U.S. dollars in grants and financial support over the next 15 months to help developing countries respond to COVID-19 impact and economic shutdown in advanced countries.