The biggest losers have been the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society, especially rural women and men in developing countries. Three out of four poor people in developing countries live in rural areas, and most depend on agriculture or related activities for their livelihoods. According to a World Bank country rating study, in agriculture-based countries – those where agriculture contributes an average of 32 per cent of GDP growth – 70 per cent of poor people live in rural areas. In transforming countries, where agriculture is no longer a main source of economic growth, contributing on average only 7 per cent to GDP growth, 82 per cent of all poor people.
