Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG 1) on halving extreme poverty is measured with the
international poverty line. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the measurement of MDG 1
by reviewing the robustness of the international poverty line and some of its national subreports.
There are at least two problems in assessing a reliable poverty line, namely what
constitutes extreme poverty and what kind of life situation this refers to. Through a qualitative
content analysis, the study shows that the selected national reports lack a reliable reference for
human dietary energy requirements pivotal for estimating a fair threshold for food needs. In
the case that a reliable source was used, the activity level was prone to a wide range of
interpretations and lacked procedural consistency. The FAO (2011) has presented minimum
dietary energy requirements that are below the references used in the national reports, which
could shift the poverty line. The study also shows that the concept of “extreme poverty” has
been used inconsistently. MDG 1 identifies extreme poverty as the inability to meet basic
food- and non-food needs. The international poverty line is based on a myriad of national
poverty lines ranging from minimum- to generous needs, where extreme poverty is defined as
people barely having enough for the food component alone. These two variables create
obstacles in setting a reliable international poverty line. A small shift in the international
poverty line changes the poverty rates substantially, making it difficult for poverty programs
and MDG 1 in truly identifying the people in most need of help.