Perceptions of Africa have changed dramatically. The continent that was viewed as one of wars, famines, and entrenched poverty in the late 1990s, is now seen as "Africa rising" and an "African 21st century". Africa's strong economicgrowth has contributed to improved health and education in the past 20 years as well as major reductions in poverty in several countries, but a rapid rise in population has led to increases in the overall number of extreme poor. Poverty in a Rising Africa is the first of two reports aimed at improving the understanding about progress in poverty reduction in Africa and at articulating a policy agenda to accelerate it. This report documents the data challenges and revisits the key facts about poverty in Africa; the second report will explore ways to accelerate poverty reduction.