About International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a United Nations day held every 17 October, and in 2026 it falls on Saturday, 17 October 2026. It began with a gathering in Paris in 1987 where Joseph Wresinski unveiled a stone to the victims of extreme poverty, and the UN adopted the date in 1992.
What is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty?
It is a United Nations day held every 17 October, and in 2026 it falls on Saturday, 17 October 2026. The General Assembly proclaimed it through resolution 47/196 on 22 December 1992, and asked member states to use the date for concrete action rather than statements.
The numbers the UN uses are stark and worth getting right. More than 690 million people live on less than $2.15 a day, the World Bank's line for extreme poverty. Close to half the world lives on under $6.85 a day. About 1.1 billion people are counted as living in acute multidimensional poverty, which looks at health, schooling and living conditions rather than income alone.
Why is the day on 17 October?
Because of what happened on the Trocadéro in Paris on 17 October 1987. Joseph Wresinski, a French priest who grew up poor and founded the movement ATD Fourth World, called people to the Human Rights Plaza there. ATD Fourth World puts the crowd at 100,000. He unveiled a stone in honour of the victims of extreme poverty, carrying the line he had spent his life arguing.
Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.
Replicas of that stone now stand in several countries. The one at UN headquarters in New York, given by France and ATD Fourth World, was unveiled on 17 October 1996, and the annual UN commemoration is held beside it. Five years after the Paris gathering, the UN adopted the date.
The point Wresinski was making still shapes the day: extreme poverty is treated as a violation of rights, not as bad luck, and the people living it are meant to speak at the events rather than be spoken about.
How is poverty measured in India?
India's most-quoted recent measure is not an income line at all. NITI Aayog's National Multidimensional Poverty Index scores households on twelve indicators drawn from the National Family Health Survey, covering nutrition, child deaths, schooling, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets and bank accounts. A household counts as poor if it falls short on a third or more of them, by weight.
| Measure | What it counts | Latest figure |
|---|---|---|
| World Bank extreme poverty line | Income below $2.15 a day | More than 690 million people worldwide |
| Global multidimensional poverty | Health, education and living standards | About 1.1 billion people in acute multidimensional poverty |
| India's National MPI (NITI Aayog) | Twelve indicators from the health survey; poor if short on a third of them | 11.28% of Indians in 2022-23, down from 29.17% in 2013-14 |
On that measure, NITI Aayog's 2024 discussion paper reported that about 24.82 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23. Uttar Pradesh accounted for the largest share, 5.94 crore, followed by Bihar at 3.77 crore, Madhya Pradesh at 2.30 crore and Rajasthan at 1.87 crore.
Read those figures for what they are. They measure whether a household has a toilet, a gas connection, a bank account and a child in school. They do not say the family has money in hand. Economists argue about the method, and about how an income poverty line for India should now be drawn, which is why you will see very different numbers quoted in the same week.
The largest thing the state does about poverty is food. The National Food Security Act, 2013 covers about 81.35 crore people, who since January 2023 collect their ration grain free rather than at a subsidised rate, and the Cabinet has approved continuing that up to December 2028.
How is the day marked in India?
Quietly. There is no government programme fixed to 17 October, no holiday and no pledge. Most of what happens is run by charities, church and faith groups, student societies and think tanks, often as a seminar, a report launch or a collection drive.
It falls one day after World Food Day, so schools and colleges frequently run the two together as a single week of activity on hunger and poverty.
What to write on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Not a wish. A message on this day is either information or a commitment.
Do
- Use one real number and say where it came from and for which year.
- Point people to a group that works all year, not a one-day collection.
- If your organisation buys services from poor households, say what you pay and when.
Avoid
- Do not post photographs of poor people, and especially children, without their permission.
- Avoid "the poor" as a single blank group. Say daily wage workers, landless families, street vendors.
- Skip lines that make giving about the giver. The day is about rights, not generosity.
- Do not write "Happy" anything.
Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. A useful place to start closer home: are the people who clean, drive and cook for this office paid on time, every month?
17 October marks the day in 1987 when 100,000 people gathered in Paris around a stone that reads: wherever people are condemned to extreme poverty, human rights are violated. That is the whole argument in one line.
You've spent years on the slow part of this work, the part without a photo opportunity. On 17 October, that deserves saying out loud.
Marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with a drive for winter blankets. If you can give, give. If you can come and help distribute, that helps more.
On the UN day against poverty, one practical thing for our colony: help the households who work here get their ration cards and e-Shram registration in order. It is free and it takes an afternoon.
India's multidimensional poverty rate fell from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23, on NITI Aayog's count. That is real progress and still tens of crores of people. Both things are true.
Related days: World Food Day, World Day of Social Justice, International Day of Charity and Human Rights Day.
How to wish someone on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
There is no greeting here, and no one is wished anything. A message on 17 October works best when it carries one number, one thing you are doing, or one correction to a lazy assumption about poor people. Write about dignity and rules, not pity. Never post photographs of someone who did not agree to be photographed.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in 2026 and 2027?
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is on 17 Oct every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in 2026?
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2026 falls on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
Why is 17 October the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty?
On 17 October 1987, about 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where Joseph Wresinski of ATD Fourth World unveiled a stone honouring the victims of extreme poverty. The UN General Assembly adopted the date through resolution 47/196 in December 1992.
Is World Poverty Day the same as this day?
Yes. World Poverty Day, End Poverty Day and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty all refer to the same UN observance on 17 October.
How is poverty measured in India?
The figure the government quotes most now is the National Multidimensional Poverty Index, built by NITI Aayog from twelve indicators in the National Family Health Survey, such as nutrition, schooling, cooking fuel, sanitation and bank accounts. A household is counted as poor if it falls short on a third or more of them.
How many people in India have come out of poverty?
NITI Aayog's discussion paper on multidimensional poverty reported that about 24.82 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23, with the poverty rate falling from 29.17 per cent to 11.28 per cent.
What can I do on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty?
Do something that lasts past the day: set up a standing donation to a group working on food, schooling or wages, help households near you complete ration card or e-Shram paperwork, or check that the workers your home or office relies on are paid on time and in full.
What should I not post on this day?
Photographs of poor people who did not agree to be photographed, especially children, and messages that make the giver the hero of the story. The day was founded on the idea that people living in poverty speak for themselves.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .