The Covid-19 crisis could have driven 100 million people into extreme poverty around the world, even more than previously estimated, World Bank President David Malpass warned Thursday in an interview with AFP.
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The institution estimates that 70 to 100 million people could fall into extreme poverty, and "that number could increase" if the pandemic worsens or lasts, he said. A previous estimate was 60 million people. This makes it "imperative" for creditors to reduce the debt of poor countries, said David Malpass, going beyond calls to extend the moratorium on poor countries' debt decided in April.