A trio of American economists on Monday won the Nobel Economics Prize for their work in the fight against poverty, including with new approaches in education and healthcare.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in a statement said Indian-born Abhijit Banerjee of the US, his French-American wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer of the US were honoured "for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.

As a direct result of one of their studies, more than five million Indian children have benefited from effective programmes of remedial tutoring in schools.

Another example is the heavy subsidies for preventive healthcare that have been introduced in many countries.

Duflo is only the second woman to win the Nobel Economics Prize in its 50-year existence, following Elinor Ostrom in 2009. APP/Mustafa