The World Bank has listed Kenya sixth in the world, judging by the number of her citizens who are poor.
According to the new report, about 17.6 million Kenyans are living in poverty and are surviving on less than $2 a day.
The report contradicts Kenya's official data which indicates that the number of her citizens living below the poverty line is only 16.4 million, between 2015/2016.
The World Bank report places Kenya behind India, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Madagascar, and indicates that the government has to come up with new counter strategies.
It claims that though Kenya has managed to elevate itself to the middle-income level, it has not managed to make any notable improvements in the poverty levels.
It indicates that the same is the case in the other mentioned countries.
“Over time, many of the countries with high poverty numbers, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Nigeria, have grown their economies out of low-income-country status and are now middle- income countries,” it reads.
According to official data as of 2016, 8.6 per cent of Kenyans are extremely poor, translating to 3.9 million people and 682,000 households.
In Nigeria, almost half of the population is grappling with extreme poverty.