Poverty in Asia and the Pacific extends well beyond the region’s least developed economies, with close to half the regional population — roughly 2.3 billion people — either living in poverty or at risk of falling into it. There is a comforting myth that poverty in Asia and the Pacific is a story about the region’s least developed economies. Taken as a whole, close to half the region’s population, some 2.3 billion people, are either currently poor or perilously close to it. Nearly half the region is poor or vulnerable : 2.3 billion people—close to 50% of the population—are either poor or at risk of falling into poverty . : 2.3 billion people—close to 50% of the population—are either poor or at risk of falling into poverty .