When measured in absolute terms (e.g. % of population that lacks access to sufficient food, electricity, education, running water, etc.) poverty has indeed been

When measured in absolute terms (e.g. % of population that lacks access to sufficient food, electricity, education, running water, etc.) poverty has indeed been decreasing. For instance, I read an Economist article a while back that explained how during the 1960s and 70s a double digit percentage of the US population didn't have plumbing and similar figures for electricity. Today it's in the single digits, near zero.