Poverty in the Philippines has been a major problem over the years. Typhoons, natural disasters and its poor economy are just some of the many reasons that have caused poverty in the Philippines. Natural disasters have reduced economic growth and development. According to the WSJ, their country's economic growth rate grew by about 7 percent between 2006 and 2012. The actual number of poor families increased from 3.81 million to 4.21 million due to population growth (WSJ). Of these people, almost half live on less than two dollars a day and approximately 1.2 billion live on less than one dollar a day (World Bank). Poverty can lead to many other problems such as infectious diseases, illegal child labor and air pollution. Poverty has been a major problem in the Philippines for over 50 years. The main causes that drove the Philippines into poverty were natural disasters and its poor economy. The Philippines is located in the Ring of Fire most exposed to natural disasters. Many of these past disasters have been typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These natural disasters have destroyed many communities and reduced economic growth and development. According to the WSJ, the latest storm, Typhoon Haiyan, was the most significant storm to ever hit the Philippines and claimed many lives and caused severe damage to Philippine communities, this disaster has amounted to $805 million so far. Between 2010 and 2012, eight strong typhoons hit the Philippines. Poverty in the Philippines leads to many other problems. The WSJ says that due to widespread poverty, many children are more vulnerable to disease, and in rural areas about a million children have not been vaccinated. Another big problem is... middle of paper... time and the daily struggle to survive. Poverty in developing countries should be brought to attention and we, as a people, should make a change in this regard. Works Cited Lorano, Cris. “The poverty rate in the Philippines is improving little despite economic growth. “Blogs.WSJ.com SouthEastAsia Real Time, December 10, 2013. Web. January 28, 2014World Bank. “Poverty is a serious problem in developing countries.” Developing nations. Berna Miller and James D. Torr. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2003.15-21.PrintFinneran, Kevin. “Infectious diseases are a serious problem in developing countries.” Developing nations. Berna Miller and James D. Torr. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2013.50-53. PrintTierney, John J. Jr “Illegal Child Labor is a Problem in Developing Countries.” Developing nations. Berna Miller and James D. Torr. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2013.35-40. Press