As countries explore practical ways to reach households trapped in extreme poverty, Anindita Bhattacharjee of BRAC University and Hossain Ishrath Adib of BRAC explain how the Graduation Approach, pioneered in Bangladesh, is informing scalable, evidence-based policies worldwide.

Reaching households trapped in extreme poverty remains a persistent challenge in global development. Overlapping constraints, including chronic food insecurity, limited assets, social exclusion, limited access to essential services, and persistent vulnerability to shocks, prevent these households from fully benefiting from existing mainstream social protection or livelihood programmes. As countries accelerate efforts to end hunger and poverty, focusing on effective and scalable pathways out of extreme poverty is no longer optional.

One promising solution comes from Bangladesh, where BRAC pioneered the Graduation approach over two decades ago. Today, this model is informing national strategies across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as a proven pathway to help people in extreme poverty build sustainable livelihoods.

A Bangladeshi innovation with global relevance

Developed in 2002, the Graduation approach was designed to address gaps in conventional programmes such as microfinance, food aid, or skills training, which often failed to reach those furthest behind or generate lasting results. BRAC’s recognition that extreme poverty is multidimensional and requires a coordinated response shaped its flagship Graduation programme, which has since reached over 2.3 million households in Bangladesh alone.

The model provides a sequenced package of support over 18-24 months, typically including: productive assets, skills training, coaching, consumption support, access to essential services, savings support, and social empowerment. This integrated design enables households to meet immediate needs while building assets, resilience, and self-reliance, setting them on an upward pathway out of poverty.

The model’s effectiveness is supported by rigorous research. Over 100 impact evaluations across multiple countries show substantial, lasting gains in income, assets, and well-being. Wide recognition as one of the few anti-poverty interventions with proven long-term impact has played a key role in Graduation’s adoption across 40+ countries and 170 programmes.

Why Graduation matters for policymakers

As governments strengthen social protection systems and expand economic inclusion, the Graduation model offers several advantages.

Bridges safety nets and livelihoods: By complementing and leveraging cash transfers and food assistance, Graduation helps households transition toward sustainable income generation. This makes it a natural fit for countries aiming to integrate economic inclusion into their social protection portfolios.

Prioritises women’s empowerment: Women are typically the primary participants, aligning the model with national gender priorities and evidence showing that women’s empowerment strengthens household resilience and community well-being.

Adaptable across contexts: Graduation is not a rigid blueprint. It requires contextualisation and offers opportunities for Governments to integrate its components into existing programmes, including livelihoods schemes and cash transfer systems.

Backed by rigorous evidence: Multiple evaluations provide policymakers with confidence that investments in Graduation yield durable, cost-effective results.

Builds resilience to shocks: By building assets, skills, and social capital, the model strengthens households’ ability to withstand climatic, economic, and health-related shocks.

Includes a clear exit pathway: Upon fulfilling the Graduation criteria (including diversified income sources, increased asset value, improved social connections, access to essential services), households transition into mainstream development programmes, allowing limited resources to be allocated to new participants.

From Pilot to Policy: Government-led adaptations

While BRAC’s direct implementation has reached millions, governments have significantly contributed to Graduation’s global expansion, embedding the Graduation Essentials – components proven to achieve lasting impact. Evidence shows that when      the ABC’s of Graduation, or an Asset, Basic needs support, and Coaching, are provided in a sequenced, time-bound, adaptive manner, it sets people on a sustainable pathway out of extreme poverty.

Today, BRAC is supporting several governments in Asia and Africa to integrate the Essentials into existing poverty-alleviation systems to achieve greater, lasting impact. In Asia, the following are among the most noteworthy examples.

• In India, BRAC is working with federal and state governments to design and scale a new national inclusive livelihood programme, based on the Graduation Approach, providing technical assistance and embedded coordination support.
• In the Philippines, building on a successful pilot from 2018-2020, BRAC is partnering with the government to integrate the Graduation approach into its Integrated Livelihood Programme, aiming for sustainable livelihoods and long-term resilience.
• In Indonesia, BRAC is working with the national government on integrating the Graduation approach into key strategic development frameworks, and with six provincial governments on strengthening poverty-alleviation programmes by incorporating missing Graduation Essentials.

With approximately 38 governments adopting the Graduation approach, emerging evidence of these programmes’ impacts, and a recent analysis of four government-led Graduation programmes drawing lessons on the path to scale, it is clear that Graduation is a viable policy instrument for large-scale poverty reduction.

Lessons for the global development community

Graduation’s global spread offers several important lessons.

Integrated approaches are essential. Graduation demonstrates the value of combining the aforementioned ABCs to simultaneously address the multiple constraints people in extreme poverty face and put them on a lasting trajectory out of poverty.

Women must be at the centre of economic inclusion. Targeting women is equitable and efficient, and accelerates sustainable household-level gains.

Adaptation is key to sustainability. Successful programmes tailor Graduation to local institutions, fiscal realities, and community structures. There is no one-size-fits-all model.

Evidence should drive scale. Graduation’s strong research foundation has been central to its widespread adoption. Continued investment in monitoring, evaluation, and learning is essential as we aim for scaled adaptation.

Governments must lead. Governments have the mandate, infrastructure, and resources needed to respond to the magnitude of the issue and reach millions of people in ways NGOs cannot.

Partnerships accelerate progress. NGOs can drive innovation, provide technical expertise and implementation support, and strengthen capacity, while governments ensure ownership and sustainability at scale. Collaborations can help governments (re)align their resources/capacities to deliver Graduation, and additional donor resources complementing government delivery can enhance returns.

Looking Ahead: A pathway to ending extreme poverty

Countries grappling with rising inequality, climate risks, and persistent extreme poverty urgently need proven, scalable solutions. The Graduation approach, developed in Bangladesh and now adopted globally, offers a practical pathway to help millions of households living in extreme poverty achieve self-reliance and dignity.

Its success highlights a broader principle: The right combination of support helps households break the cycle of poverty permanently. For governments and development partners, Graduation is more than a programme; it is a framework for lasting, systemic change. With coordinated action and smarter use of existing resources and knowledge, ending extreme poverty in this lifetime is within reach.

Learn more about economic inclusion programmes

Learn more about the 2030 Sprint on Economic Inclusion

About the authors

Hossain Ishrath Adib, Senior Director of Poverty Alleviation, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and the Social Innovation Lab, BRAC

With more than two decades of experience in national and international development, Hossain leads BRAC’s efforts to support people living in extreme poverty through integrated and scalable development programmes, including the Graduation approach. His work spans poverty alleviation, WASH, community resilience, financial inclusion and integration of services across development and humanitarian contexts. 

Anindita Bhattacharjee, Senior Researcher & Initiative Lead for the UPGI-BIGD Research Partnership, BRAC University

In her current role, Anindita contributes to research, evidence synthesis, and knowledge-sharing efforts on the Graduation approach, focusing on translating evidence into insights that can inform policy and practice to reduce extreme poverty.