Worldwide, the number of people in developing countries living on less than $1 a day fell to 980 million in 2004 – down from 1.2 billion in 1990. The proportion of people living in extreme poverty fell from nearly a third to 19 per cent over this period. If progress continues, the MDG target will be met. However, success is unequally shared, since the decline in global poverty is mostly due to rapid economic growth in Asia. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, in particular, experienced impressive reductions in poverty, and accelerating growth in India has also put Southern Asia on track to achieve the goal.