US intelligence sees poverty plummeting by 2030 across the planet

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- Poverty across the planet will drop sharply by 2030, with a rising middle class of some two billion people pushing for more rights and resources.

The chief at the U.S. government's top intelligence analysis shop says if current economic and demographic trends continue, 1 billion people who live on less than a dollar a day now will drop by half in roughly two decades.

Christopher Kojm gave the preview of the National Intelligence Council's global forecast at the Aspen Security Forum Saturday.

Kojm says economic powerhouses, such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam are driving the trend, which will continue even if the economy goes through upheaval. He says several hundred million people, armed with the resources and education, will produce new technology to meet demands for food, water and energy.