not sure about greatest in human history given norman borlaug saved 1B lives, but this comes close.

“the chart above could perhaps qualify as the ‘chart of the century’ because it illustrates one of the most remarkable achievements in human history: the 80% reduction in world poverty in only 36 years, from 26.8% of the world’s population living on $1 or less (in 1987 $) in 1970 to only 5.4% in 2006.

see also

But there was another significant development, which is connected to the ongoing debate about the T.P.P., and which has received rather less attention.The World Bank announced that the % of the earth’s population that is living in extreme poverty is likely to fall below 10%. As recently as 1990, the proportion was more than 33%. “This is the best story in the world today—these projections show us that we are the first generation in human history that can end extreme poverty”

• Uncategorized