An end to poverty... 2035

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Billionaire software baron Bill Gates has made the bold prediction that there will be almost no poor countries left by 2035.

In the sixth annual letter published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Gates says that there are already clear signs of progress.

"By almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been," he wrote in the letter.

"People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient."

Countries once considered poor, such as China, India, Brazil and even Botswana, now have growing economies, he says.

In Africa more broadly, life expectancy has risen since the 1960s despite the HIV epidemic.

More children are going to school and fewer people are hungry and where health conditions have improved, birth-rates have declined, the letter states.
Audio: Poor countries not doomed to stay poor: Bill Gates (PM)

"You might think that such striking progress would be widely celebrated, but in fact, Melinda and I are struck by how many people think the world is getting worse," Mr Gates says.