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01 / 05
Heroes of Progress, Pt. 9: Richard Cobden

Blog Post | Economic Freedom

Heroes of Progress, Pt. 9: Richard Cobden

Introducing the man who helped turn Britain into a free-trading nation, Richard Cobden.

Today marks the ninth installment in a series of articles by HumanProgress.org titled, Heroes of Progress. This bi-weekly column provides a short introduction to heroes who have made an extraordinary contribution to the wellbeing of humanity. You can find the 8th part of this series here.

Our ninth Hero of Progress is Richard Cobden, a 19th century British politician and textile manufacturer. Cobden’s work turned Britain, the global hegemon at the time, into a free trading nation – an act that set in motion global trade liberalization that has lifted millions of people out of poverty.

Richard Cobden was born June 3, 1804, in rural Sussex, England. He was the son of a poor farmer and spent his early years in abject poverty. Cobden received little formal education and, at the age of 14, he became a clerk in a textile factory. In 1828, Cobden and two other young men started a company selling calico prints in London. The business was an immediate success and within a few years he was living an affluent life in Manchester.

In 1833, the now-prosperous Cobden began travelling the world. He visited much of Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. While on his travels in 1835, Cobden wrote an influential pamphlet titled England, Ireland and America. In the pamphlet, he advocated for a new approach to foreign policy based on free-trade, peace and non-interventionism.

Cobden returned to England in 1839 to advocate for the repeal of the Corn Laws. Enacted in 1815, the Corn Laws were tariffs placed on imported food and grain into Britain. They kept grain prices artificially high to favor domestic producers. Cobden argued that these laws raised the price of food and the cost of living for the British public, and hampered the growth of other economic sectors.

In March 1839, Cobden created the Anti-Corn Law League – an organization advocating in favor of the repeal. Cobden, with the support of the talented orator John Bright, spoke to audiences across the country. He presented a petition to Parliament urging the end of protectionism. After it was rejected, Cobden realized that petitions would achieve little. It was direct political action that was needed.

In 1841, Cobden became a Member of Parliament for Stockport. The economic hardship associated with the recession that lasted from 1840 to 1842 pushed more people in favor of free trade and Corn Laws were eventually repealed in 1846.

Prime Minister Robert Peel acknowledged Cobden as the man responsible for enabling those who lived in extreme poverty to access cheaper foodstuffs from abroad. Moreover, the repeal of the Corn Laws forced many of Britain’s colonies to embrace free trade.

In 1859, with tensions between Britain and France high, Michel Chevalier, a French statesman, urged Cobden to persuade the French Emperor Napoleon III about the benefits of free-trade. Cobden, with the blessing of the Chancellor of the Exchequer William Gladstone, met with the Emperor to discuss a potential Anglo-French free trade deal.

The Emperor was receptive to Cobden’s arguments and, on January 23, 1860, Britain and France signed the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty. Princeton University economist Gene Grossman described the treaty as the “first modern trade agreement.” Cobden died in London on April 2, 1865.

Repeal of the Corn Laws marked a fundamental shift of the British Empire toward free-trade. That policy alleviated hunger and suffering of millions of people, and set a precedent for free-trade treaties to follow. Cobden’s influence on the creation of the Cobden-Chevalier treaty laid the foundation for modern trade agreements that continue to shape and enrich the world today. It is for these reasons that Richard Cobden is our 9th Hero of Progress.

World Bank | Poverty Rates

Global Extreme Poverty Rate Fell from 2022 to 2025

“Global poverty estimates up to 2023 were updated today on the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), including nowcasted estimates up to 2025. The update includes three main changes to the PIP data (See the What’s New document for more details): First, the update brings new survey data for several country-years, including important updates to data from India; second, it includes the adoption of the 2021 Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs); and third, based on the new PPPs and new survey data, including new national poverty lines, the update revises the global poverty lines.

As a result of these combined changes, the global extreme poverty rate in 2022 is revised up from 9.0 to 10.5 percent, corresponding to an increase in the number of individuals living below the international poverty line from 713 to 838 million…

While revised poverty lines, underlying data revisions, and changes in PPPs affect the level of poverty, from a historical lens, the trends remain similar. The following graph shows the estimated poverty rates by regions since 1990. The graph also depicts the updated nowcasts of poverty following the methodology introduced in the September 2024 update. The nowcast suggests a modest decline in the global extreme poverty rate from 10.5 percent in 2022 to 9.9 percent in 2025. Based on the latest data, the South Asia region experienced the most significant decline in extreme poverty between 2022 and 2025. Conversely, the Middle East and North Africa was the only region to experience an increase in poverty during this period, up from 8.5 percent in 2022 to 9.4 percent in 2025.”

From World Bank.

Magnetic Media | Poverty Rates

Jamaica’s Poverty Prevalence Has Declined Dramatically

“Jamaica’s poverty prevalence for 2023 was estimated at 8.2 per cent, a decline from 16.7 per cent in 2021.

Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Director General, Dr. Wayne Henry, disclosed that it was ‘the lowest figure ever recorded since poverty rates were first measured in 1989.'”

From Magnetic Media.

Yabiladi | Poverty Rates

Morocco’s Multidimensional Poverty Halved Since 2014

“The High Commission for Planning (HCP) has unveiled a new map of multidimensional poverty in Morocco, drawing on data from the 2014 and 2024 general censuses. This initiative aims to offer a clearer picture of the various forms of deprivation tied to deficits in education, health, housing, and access to basic infrastructure.

According to HCP, Morocco has seen a substantial decline in multidimensional poverty between 2014 and 2024. The proportion of the population experiencing poverty fell from 11.9% to 6.8%, representing a drop from around 4 million to 2.5 million people. The intensity of poverty, measured by the average deprivation rate, also saw a slight decrease, from 38.1% to 36.7%. As a result, the overall Multidimensional Poverty Index was nearly cut in half, falling from 4.5% to 2.5%.”

From Yabiladi.

World Bank | Poverty Rates

Poverty Declines Significantly in Bhutan from 2017 to 2022

“The report highlights Bhutan’s remarkable progress in poverty reduction, with the national poverty rate declining from 28 percent to 11.6 percent during this period. Key drivers include robust economic growth, improved labor market outcomes, enhanced agricultural productivity, effective COVID-19 relief programs, and strong remittance inflows.”

From World Bank.