8221;Poor in developing world at 1.3 bn8217;

The update draws on over 850 household surveys in nearly 130 countries,it added.

The USD 1.25 poverty line is the average of the world8217;s poorest 10 to 20 countries,it said.

8220;Having 22 per cent of people in developing countries still living on less than USD 1.25 a day and 43 per cent with less than USD 2 a day is intolerable.

8220;We need to increase our efforts8230; Countries need to expand data collection and strengthen statistical capacity,particularly in low-income countries,8221; said Jaime Saavedra,director,World Bank8217;s Poverty Reduction and Equity Group.

There was only a modest drop in the number of people living below USD 2 per day between 1981 and 2008,from 2.59 billion to 2.47 billion,though falling more sharply since 1999,the World Bank said.

Breaking-up the study,the World Bank said about 14 per cent of the population in East Asia and the Pacific lived below USD 1.25 a day in 2008,down from 77 per cent in 1981,when this region had the highest poverty rate globally.

In developing world outside China,extreme-poverty rate was 25 per cent in 2008,down from 41 per cent in 1981.

In South Asia,people living on USD 1.25 a day fell from 61 per cent to 39 per cent during 1981-2005 and fell further by 3 percentage points between 2005 and 2008. Proportion of people living in extreme poverty is now the lowest since 1981,the World Bank said.